2016 Saltonstall Pinot Noir

Saltonstall Vineyard is planted in a cool breezy coastal valley 15 miles west of Petaluma. The grapes were picked on September 1 at 24.6 Brix, destemmed not crushed, fermented with RB2 yeast in an open top tank and punched down after 4 days cold soak. 2016 was a dry year, but it had lots of fog along the coast with attendant fungal pressures and the vineyard had to be netted early, as there were lots of birds. We were rewarded by earthy cherry and dark rose notes that developed in the wine, and these evolved beautifully in the 20 months it spent in barrel.