2018 Pinot Noir, Freedom Hill Vineyard MAGNUM

From Winemaker, John Abbott:

The 2018 vintage was warm and dry during the growing season. It also was the first time we experienced smoke lingering in the valley as a result of terrible wildfires in California, Southern Oregon, and Canada. Fortunately, the smoke didn’t come at a time or linger long enough to cause us any trouble with the fruit. Then late September brought a welcoming rain that was just enough, but not too much, and it helped get the vines and their fruit to the finish line of full ripeness.

Because of the warmer weather, we were prepared for a vintage with bigger tannins. With this in mind, we decreased our pumpovers to slow the extraction. We taste every lot of wine each day during its fermentation to monitor extraction and make our decision to press the young wine off of its skins at the perfect time. Once pressed, it goes straight to barrel.

The 2018 vintage was also our second vintage working with the Dijon clone 115 in the Heritage block at Freedom Hill. This particular clone is known for its bright-fruit profile and lush mid-palate. We are pleased with the lushness and balance that we were able to achieve with the 2018 vintage. The nose of this wine is filled with red fruit, strawberry, mango, red delicious apple, Rainier cherries and laced with deep floral notes of lilac blossoms and dark red rose petals. The mouth has an exotic star fruit character that accents flavors of black currant, and a bit of black licorice and rooibos tea. The finish is long and lingering with a creamy texture. Peter, who works with us in the cellar, commented that it tastes like a classic Victorian sandwich cake. Descriptors are so often connected with our experiences, and this one is new to me. I will have to explore!

Given that we are more than a year into the pandemic, but hopefully rounding the bend, I would highly recommend Chris Stapleton’s newest album, Starting Over. I enjoy the whole album, although Maggie’s Song hits almost too close to home for me. It is still a beautiful song. I hope you enjoy the newest release of both our wine and Chris’ album.