2017 Pinot Noir, Artist Series, Three 1.5L

From Co-Owner, Molly Abbott:

In every vintage there will be a barrel or a single lot of wine that really stands out from the rest. The reasons for this vary from vintage to vintage. Sometimes a wine will be unique in such a way that it is too interesting to blend away, or it could be that if used in a particular blend it would overpower the other components.

In 2017, we were experimenting with whole-cluster fermentation in Pinot Noir, which is a technique we rarely use. Our experience tells us to expect the stems to introduce green and tannic qualities, which they do in Bordeaux varieties. In fact, our state-of-the-art equipment is designed precisely to remove all stem material. But with Pinot Noir, the stems seem to introduce a rich cocoa element, while enhancing the complexity and the pretty qualities of the wine, and the result is delicious. To barrel ferment Pinot Noir, requires a special vintage when the conditions are right, and we haven’t had one since. We look forward to more in the future. Some of you may recall barrel tasting this wine during open house weekends in 2018. Because it was so beautiful and interesting from the very start, we couldn't resist. We made one barrel of this wine and it is bottled only in magnums. There are just 22 cases.

This label is the third in a set created for us by John’s sister, Kerrie. The Pacific Bleeding Heart (Dicentra formosa), taken from our emblem, is the image for this label. Given all that has happened in this difficult year of 2020, it seemed appropriate. From the back label: “In this year, our hearts have been heavy and our hearts have been broken. Our hearts have also been lifted and our hearts have been warmed. It is a year that put us to the test, and then reminded us of our compassion, our resilience, and what we hold dear”.

The music pairing for this wine can be no other than Seattle’s own, Heart. The song Love Alive from the album Little Queen is the one for the moment.