Vineyard: The Goff-Whitton is a Dutton Ranch property in the Green Valley sub-appellation of the Russian River Valley that yields a wine with intense red fruit aromas. It is softer, with lovely suppleness, sweet fruit on the mid-palate, and red fruit flavors. The 2016 is the first vintage using the Dutton Ranch Goff-Whitton vineyard exclusively.
Appellation: Russian River Valley, Sonoma County
Growing Season: The 2016 vintage started out with a mild February leading to an earlier bud break of mid-March for Pinot Noir in the Russian River Valley. May, June, and July were consistently warm and pleasant leading to expectations of another extremely early harvest. With a lack of extreme heat spikes in August and September we were able
...more... to let the fruit hang and gradually ripen. The grapes had intense cherry and berry fruit flavors and excellent tannin maturity at harvest.
Harvest Date: September 15th
Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir
Barrel Aging: 10 months in Oak – 41% new: 100% French
Winemaking: The single lot was fermented in open top tanks utilizing both punch downs and pump overs to optimize the level of extraction from the fruit. The wine went to barrel with some yeast lees that were stirred every 2 weeks for the first 6 months of aging to add body and complexity.
Tasting Notes: The 2016 Pinot Noir has aromas of intense red cherry, notes of framboise, and wild strawberry, lovely oak spice, vanilla, and hints of clove and graham cracker. Rich and plush on the entry, the wine exudes a luscious tart cherry and freshly baked cherry pie, vanilla and juicy red fruit. With a long soft finish, the fine tannins keep it classically structured. A welcome addition to your table now and will continue to improve with cellaring through 2021. Awarded Best in Class for Pinot Noirs priced $30-$40 at the 2018 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.
