Lynmar Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2005

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Starting at: $39^.99

4 Reviews

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Winery:

Lynmar Winery

Varietal:

Pinot Noir

Region:

USA > California > Sonoma County > Russian River Valley

Type:

Red Wine

Color:

Drink Dates:

Drink Now - 2011

UPC:

 

User Tags:  sophisticated, flower, graceful, extracted, style, meat, white meat, poultry, delicious, berry 

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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

PHILOSOPHY Our Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is always a fruit forward wine where we strive to create a distinctive, benchmark expression of our famous appellation. The goal is to present an elegant and pure rendition of the variety that is enjoyable upon release but will also reward short-term aging. While select lots from our 42-acre Quail Hill Vineyard home estate form an important component of this bottling, we also work closely with a small group of local growers who share our commitment to quality. 2005 GROWING SEASON 2005 was one of the coolest and latest seasons in recent memory, which read more...meant an excellent vintage for the more elegant, aciddriven style that Lynmar is known for. The skill of our vineyard team combined with a bit of luck to help us avoid losses during early rains that decimated a number of neighboring vineyards during flowering. The rest of the season was uneventful, grapes ripened gradually and evenly without the late season heat spikes that have challenged North Coast winemakers the last several vintages. Night and early morning harvesting, with multiple passes where needed, helped us bring in fruit of exceptional quality with uncommonly high natural acidity, ripe tannins and great flavor maturity. WINEMAKING Winemaking for our Russian River Valley Pinot Noir lots is focused on capturing fruit and moderating extraction to yield components of great perfume, yet balanced and elegant structure. Fruit was hand picked early in the morning and transported to the winery while still cool, then hand-sorted before being gently de-stemmed and transferred without pumping into small (2.5 and 4.5 ton) open-top fermenters. The fruit was then cold-soaked for 3 to 7 days at 50°F before allowing native yeast fermentations to begin. Fermentations were gently punched down by hand 2 to 4 times per day. Total skin contact ranged from 12-18 days depending on each lot objective. Wines were then put into barrels where secondary, malolactic fermentation occurred over several months. Racking was minimal, with aging on light lees until the final blend was assembled. Vineyard sources spanned the appellation from Eastside Road to either side of the Bodega Highway corridor, including, of course, Quail Hill Vineyard itself. TASTING NOTES The color this year is of similar depth and concentration to the '04, though with more of a garnet hue from the softer acidity. Aromas begin, uncommonly for a Lynmar Pinot, with mélange of dark fruit notes, yet with no sense of overripeness or alcoholic warmth. There is simply a "jammier" character this vintage due to the nature of the fruit. A subtle Chinese 5-spice note accents the fruit, along with a mild, complex earthiness desired in a naturally fermented Pinot. Our vineyard sources were refined from 2004; where this really shows is in this wine's texture. The entry is round and inviting, with a rich but not heavy mid-palate, velvety tannins, and a soft yet balanced acidity. There is a nice youthful "grip" to the finish that in no way detracts from this wine's early drinking appeal. In fact, we expect this vintage to drink better than ever upon release. As always, this wine will only get better during its release cycle, and we expect it to continue to evolve wonderfully for at least the next 2 years. WINE INFORMATION: Varietal Composition: 100% Pinot Noir Winemaker: Hugh Chappelle Consulting Winemaker: Paul Hobbs Cooperage: 16 mo. in small (60 gal.) French oak barrels (30% new) Cases Produced: 3,064 (12x750ml)cases Bottling Date: February 2007 T.A.: 0.57 g/ml Alcohol: 14.4% pH: 3.65    (hide)

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