Auction Block Pinot Noir 2005

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Starting at: $61^.64

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Winery:

Tandem Winery

Varietal:

Pinot Noir

Region:

USA > California > Sonoma County > Sonoma Coast

Type:

Red Wine

Color:

Drink Dates:

Drink Now - 2015

UPC:

 

User Tags:  blend, smokey, spices, pomegranate, oak, mediterranean fruits, resinous, spice, asia, stone fruits 

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What to Expect

California has long struggled with Pinot Noir. Finding the right vineyards for this most fickle of grape, one that enjoys a cool growing season yet needs warmth close to harvest to fully ripen, has proven a challenge in such a sunny state. Cooler areas eventually became identified; the Santa Rita Hills, Russian River Valley and Mendocino's Anderson valley are all prime spots for Pinot Noir in California. Unlike the lighter colored and sometimes delicate Pinots of Burgundy, California produces many rich, deep Pinots full of slightly chewy dark berry and cherry fruits with hints of cola, Asian spices and forest floor frequently adding complexity.

Winemakers Notes

Auction Block Pinot noir is a wine dedicated to the many charities Tandem has been supporting since we first started selling wine in late 2002. Comprised of the best barrels of our best vineyards, this wine is always meant to show how enduring yet generous and rich Pinot noir can be. This wine is built for the long haul. It will last the test of time as it is "auctioned off" to charitable collectors, yielding long-term results for both wine enthusiast and the organizations that help to fight diseases, support children and promote the arts and sciences of our world. Tasting Notes: This year's read more...blend demonstrates the bright red fruits that are so very present in the cool 2005 vintage. Red cherry and berries on the nose are well-framed by touches of earth from the wild ferments and pine duff from the van der Kamp vineyard. On the mouth, the brightness continues with excellent, mouth-watering acidity and firm tannins that support a long, late finish that fades into touches of guava and floral, tropical retro nasal notes. Technical Data: Vineyards: The Silver Pines Vineyard's Mariafeld clone and Van der Kamp vineyard's "Old Vine" 1960s plantings, each near the top of Sonoma Mountain, once again provide backbone. Continuing the terroir tour of this historic highland, the Chris Lee Vineyard on the North slope volcanic ash fields gives additional complexity of berry notes and the Sangiacomo family's Roberts Road vineyard at the West base of the mountain in the Petaluma Gap add this vineyard's sauvage quality. Kent Ritchie's famed Russian River vineyard provides touches of cola notes and sarsaparilla. Harvest: The cool vintage of 2005 went late into October. Weather stayed relatively dry, allowing for perfect ripening of the moderately-filled clusters and thin-skinned berries that might have otherwise been at risk to Fall rot pressure. We did not finish harvesting Pinot until the first week of October! Fermentation: done completely spontaneous for both primary and malolactic fermentation, we almost always choose the wild side of wine microbiology. Extended cold-soak during pre-fermentation helped to encourage the cool-climate yeast living in these vineyards and our winery. Most of the wine pressed before dryness which allows for the primary fermentation to finish in barrel, giving greater complexity, subtlety and integration to the oak aromas and flavors in the wine. Barrel Aging: After pressing, most of the wines went directly to barrel without settling or racking. Barrels from Remond, Sirugue and Francois Freres coopers of Burgundy were used. Age of cooperage was 20% new, with additional neutrality of wood spread over once-, twice- and thrice-used barrels. Total time in barrel, as is customary for this reserve-level blend, was an average of 14 months. Bottling: 417 cases of this unfined, gravity-racked wine were bottled in late December 2006. pH: 3.48 TA: 6.72 g/L 14.3% alcohol Residual sugar: 0.1% Appellation: Sonoma Coast    (hide)

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