Wine Notes
2007 Sobella Los Carneros
Hillside Vineyard Pinot Noir
The fruit was pulled off and crushed on August 31, 2007. If both the winemaker and viticulturist hadn’t been there, there may have been some doubt that this was in fact Pinot Noir. The vineyard yielded less than three tons per acre and produced intensely flavored and colored fruit.
The resulting wine is a very dark and ripe example of Pinot Noir from a cool climate vineyard. Like some Merlot grown in the same vineyard, this fruit is powerfully concentrated and more structure than most Pinots made today. The first indication is the color, achieved without winemaker tricks of enzyme and concentrate additions. Aged on 50% new French and Hungarian oak, the wine displays a lovely, ripe aroma of dried cherries, blackberry jam and sweet, smokey oak. Once in the mouth, this is a lovely combination of fruit, allspice, smoked meat (pancetta) and sweet vanilla notes in the finish. There’s an earthiness and concentration that makes some on our tasting panel wonder how much Syrah was added but we can verify it is 100% Pinot Noir. For a food pairing, enjoy it with rich flavorful foods that you would enjoy with hearty Zinfandels or Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon (like a hearty beef burgundy or grilled duck – we tried it with both).
Technical Notes:
100% Sonoma Carneros Pinot Noir
Harvest Date: August 31, 2007
Cases Produced:
Bottling Date: August 28, 2008
Alcohol: 14.34%