2022 Atelier Pinot Noir

Atelier honors winemaking technique, tradition, and innovation. It is the opportunity to focus meticulous attention to detail and indulge in the art of craftsmanship with the Russian River Valley as a muse.

Our grower partners are united in their commitment to sustainable farming and conservation of their precious land. Esteemed, geographically distinct, family-owned vineyard sites where generations of pride, knowledge, and care cultivate both the fruit and spirit of the land. Water-efficient, low-impact farming practices translate tangibly to fruit and wine quality.

Our obsession with nuanced, sustainably farmed Russian River Valley Pinot Noir took us to two sites and three distinct vineyard blocks in the Middle Reach neighborhood of the Russian River Valley. Both sites toe the line along the Laguna Ridge neighborhood, where we find fruit that displays both lush texture and focused structural tannin. The blend is composed of roughly one third each of Pommard (Clone 4) and Dijon Clones 667 and 777. We selected these clones based upon our experience observing Pommard lending a silky to velvety texture with notes of cinnamon and orange peel as well as a desirable earthiness and full-bodied structure. Clone 667 contributing depth of color from its tight, compact clusters, and the greater ratio of skins to juice, and Clone 777 for its small clusters, small berries, and greater number of seeds per berry which lends aromatic intensity.

Our tiny Pinot Noir clusters were hand harvested between September 7 and 12 and crushed into 3-ton open-top fermenters where they underwent a three-day cold soak to extract fruit flavors, aromas, and color. In some lots approximately 30% whole clusters were retained in the fermentation to achieve complexity. After the cold soak, tank jackets were turned up and the musts were inoculated with four yeast strains to highlight the various characteristics of each clone. An approximately 6-day fermentation ensued prior to the must being run off the skins and filled directly to barrels, our preference is for Tremeaux, and Francios Freres, where MLF was completed. The wine was aged in contact with its lees for 3 months prior to the lots being racked and blended into the final assemblage to age in French oak for ten months incorporating only 14% new oak. The barrel character provides underpinnings to the fabric of the wine, crucial to the structure but veiled within. This nod to Burgundian cellaring celebrates the prioritization of fruit character over winemaker inputs.

A robe of garnet cloaks the wine offering a clear indication of the light-to-medium body and signaling the array of red fruit flavors and aromas within. Plummy fruit leads on the nose and swirls with earthy notes of autumn leaves along with signature nuanced aromas of savory Chinese five-spice, and strawberry fruit leather. In the mouth, hibiscus and raspberry fruit prevail on the mid-palate and mingle with notes of black tea and mushroom. The low level of tannins makes the wine soft, seamless, and elegant displaying flavors of tart cherry, cranberry, and forest floor on the finish.