2011 THE FORAGER Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast
THE FORAGER Pinot Noir illustrates that careful, experienced selection and blending of Pinot Noir lots grown in diverse coastal locations can deliver delicious flavors without the luxury "single-vineyard" price tag. Low yields from excellent sites, minimalist Burgundian winemaking techniques and modest new French oak capture the typicity of these sites and the purity of this noble red grape variety.
Price: $27/bottle
Shipping and handling included at no charge on 6+ bottles!
ACCOLADES
2011 VINTAGE, EXCELLENT
"Deep red. Seductively perfumed aromas of red berry preserves, beetroot and rose oil, with a subtle spicy quality emerging with air. Sappy and precise, offering bitter cherry and raspberry flavors and a hint of cracked pepper. Finishes with gently gripping tannins and good length."
- Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, May/June 2013
2010 VINTAGE, OUTSTANDING, 91 POINTS, BEST BUY
"Medium-deep ruby color; deep herbal and earthy aromas with berry notes; deep berry flavors with earthy notes; some oak; good structure and balance; long finish. Deep and earthy Pinot with a lot to offer."
- Pinot Report, June 2012
2010 VINTAGE, RECOMMENDED
"Worthy Pinot on a budget is tough. But there remain a few brave folks willing to play in that sandbox. To get a peek at the light touch of last years vintage, there's the 2010 The Forager Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, made by Jonathan & Susan Pey, the Marin team behind Pey-Marin and several other labels. With a dusty earth edge to dusky plum and roast strawberry, it's got bulk but ample subtlety and proper oak. To use the name of another of the Pey's labels, it's textbook."
- Jon Bonné, "2011 Gift Guide: A wine for everyone on your list", San Francisco Chronicle, November 27, 2011
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VINTAGE 2011
The 2011 growing season will go down in the books as a cool season with rain challenges at the end. The summer just never really “baked”. This delayed ripening and extended hangtime, allowing the conservative growers who elected to drop fruit to ripen bunches beautifully. But those who cropped heavy found themselves with poor flavors in late September. After Labor Day, dry, warm days prevailed into September and chilly, clear nights led to a delicious crop of tasty Pinot bunches in late September and just before the rains in early October.
VINEYARDS - TERRIFIC SITES
The complexity of our 2011 Pinot Noir comes from six clones grown in two locales on the chilly Sonoma Coast, a terrific spot for exemplary cool-climate Pinot Noir. Both sites were hand-pruned and picked. The soils in these low yielding, wind-swept sites range from the famed “Goldridge” to shallow gravelly loams. Each site and clone provided different aromas, flavors & structure and we developed the blend from these diverse components. The first site, representing 70% of the vintage, is less than seven miles from the coast at an elevation of almost 1,000 feet with 15-30 degree slopes. It was densely planted a decade ago and features Guyot training with 16-18 clusters per vine of 115, 828, 777 and “heritage” selections. The second site (30% of the vintage) is situated in the western section of the AVA (due south of Kistler and Klopp Ranch), offers clones 777 and 828 and contributes richness and depth.
WINEMAKING
Hand-harvested between September 29 and October 1, these compact Pinot Noir bunches were chilled to 50F, hand-sorted, mostly destemmed, crushed and cold soaked for 2 days in five-ton open-top fermenters. A small portion went whole cluster. Fermentation began naturally and was completed with cultured Burgundian yeast. Moderate fermentation temperatures (87°F) and 2 pigeage (punch-downs) per day helped build structure, color and texture. ML took place in barrel followed by eleven months maturation (no racking) which contributed nuanced spiciness and a velvety mouth-feel. We call our wine THE FORAGER to illustrate how growing, gathering & judiciously blending small lots of delicious Pinot Noir can deliver serious flavor and interest.
WINE FACTS
Regional Composition: Sonoma Coast AVA 100%
Varietal Composition: Clone/Selections: 115, 777, 828, Swan & Pommard
pH: 3.55
TA: 0.62 g/100mL
Alcohol: 13.31%
Total Production: 54 barrels
Download Tasting Notes