Bottle Shots - 2008 PN RRS

2008 Pinot Noir
Russian River Selection

Our appellation designate wines are carefully crafted blends from our very finest vineyard properties. Through clonal and geographic diversity, Gary Farrell combines the nuances from multiple cuvees, creating levels of intrigue and complexity not typically obtainable from any single vineyard source. Always among our finest and favorite releases, this wine also benefited from the cool and steady growing season of 2008.

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Tasting Notes

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Vintage Summary

2008 was a tremendous vintage for producers favoring finesse and elegance in their wines. As you may recall, 2007 provided very bright, but highly extracted, dense wines from our region. While many enjoy this style, it is not the style of winemaking I have embraced during my career. Rather, I prefer more subtlety in my wines; with greater focus on purity of fruit, acute balance and elegance than density or power. Thankfully, 2008 provided ideal fruit composition for crafting wines of this style.

Winemaker Notes

Our appellation blends are nearly always among our most exciting and alluring wines. They combine complementing cuvees crafted from our finest vineyards to create amazingly complex and complete wines. Consider this wine benefits from the brightness of the Allen Dijon clones, the depth of the Rochioli Pommard and richness of Hallberg Cruz clone; creating a symphony of flavors, texture and intrigue. We are pleased by the tremendous generosity of this wine…without excessive weight, density or extract. Delicious, bright, juicy and satisfying; a wine we are confident will be enjoyed and greatly appreciated by our customers.

Gary Farrell, winemaker

Cellar Notes

  • Vineyards and Clones

    Rochioli Vineyard: Pommard clone 4
    Allen Vineyard: Dijon clone 777
    Starr Ridge Vineyard: Dijon clones 115, 777
    Floodgate RRV Vineyard: Martini and Dijon clones
    Hallberg Vineyard: Cruz Clone

  • Harvest Information

    Harvest dates: 8/23 – 9/6
    Hand harvested at night under lights
    Hand sorted in vineyard
    Average brix: 24.3 degrees

  • Grape Processing

    Cold fruit processed early AM
    Hand sorted prior to stem removal
    Hand sorted after stem removal

  • Fermentation

    Tanks: Small open tops
    Cold soak: 3-5 days
    Yeast: Combination Wild and cultured
    Mixing: 3 punch downs daily
    Duration: 9-11 days

  • Barrel Program

    ML fermentation in barrel
    100% French oak
    40% new (Francois Freres, Rousseau)
    60% one and two year old
    10 months in barrel

  • Finished Wine

    Alcohol: 14.1% by volume
    Titratable acidity: 6.7 gm/L
    pH: 3.42
    Bottling date: July 24, 2009
    Production: 1,536 cases (9 liter equivalent)

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