Blend:

100% Pinot Noir from 8 different selections, grown exclusively at Casa Carneros Vineyard.

Finished Wine:

Alcohol: 14.6%
TA: 5.9 g/L
pH: 3.33
Residual Sugar: Dry

Bottling Date:

December 3, 2000

Fruit at Harvest:

Picking Dates: Aug. 14, 16, 30 & Sep. 3 & 6, 1998
Brix: (average): 24.2º
TA: 6.9 g/L
pH: 3.37

Temperature of Fermentation:

80º - 90º F

Total Cases Produced:

600 12 x 750 ml bottle cases

Barrel Aging:

15 months in 50% new French oak barrels, 25% in one-year-old French oak barrels, and 25% in 2-year-old French oak barrels.

Description:

The 1998 Casa Carneros Pinot Noir is the seventh vintage released from this small, family run winery. The vineyard was planted in 1989 and was in full production by 1998. Grapes from all eight selections of Pinot Noir in the Casa Carneros vineyard were vinified separately, and went into the ultimate blend. The selections in this vineyard include: Swan, Hanzell, Chalone, St. Clair, UCD5, UCD12, UCD18 and UCD23.

This wine was fermented in small, half-ton bins, a small scale approach to winemaking that ultimately produces a rich, complex and extracted Pinot Noir. This is a wine with layers of dense fruit balanced by firm tannins with the structure and velvety texture that is the hallmark of a fine Pinot Noir.