Patz & Hall Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2000

Winemaker's Notes:

The 2000 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is produced from a blend of five vineyard sites. They are: Russian River Valley sites Saralee's Vineyard, Catie's Corner Vineyard, Pie Shaped Piece (Martinelli) and Vin Alchemy Vineyard as well as a Sonoma Valley site - Latour Vineyard at the top of the ridge between Napa and Sonoma Counties in the Mt. Veeder area. 2000 was an excellent growing season. We performed shoot thinning at Saralee's Vineyard in order to provide more concentration and depth of flavor. The young vines are both Vin Alchemy and Catie's Corner did not require shoot thinning but at Adamine Vineyard we chose to drop some of the crop for better balance. Another long, cool growing season suited Pinot Noir in 2000 and we received very fully ripened, richly flavored grapes. During the picking we hand-sorted for any less than perfect clusters. Finally, we ran the grapes over our sorting table at the winery to have a final look and remove any clusters we missed the first time. The results from all the sites in 2000 were impressive. The individual components from each site were only separate for the first couple of months. The blend came together naturally and has produced what we believe is an excellent example of RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY Pinot Noir. The 2000 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is primarily a combination of Saralee's Vineyard and Catie's Corner with smaller amounts of Vin Alchemy - wines that seem to mesh very nicely. Tasting Notes: Dark, ruby red color; deep aromas of ripe blackberry, fresh cherries and exotic spices; the flavors are complex with cassis/cherry with a distinctive violet and blueberry/cola note. This is a delicious medium bodied wine, loaded with supple textures, rich mouth feel with ample supple tannins and a long lasting cherry/berry finish. Drinkable now with an aging potential 4-8 years.