2017 10 Acre Pinot Noir

2017 started sluggishly, with some wet weather lingering into April. As Summer set in, the vintage began to develop into a stunner. Long, dry, warm days with cool nights, well into September, brought a vintage that had the chance to be exceptional. We thinned rather extensively at the Estate to promote even ripeness and developed clusters, and the results made that decision seem eerily prescient.

Planted in 1997 on our eastern slope, the 10 Acre block is the oldest section of the Estate vineyard. The block gets its full sun in the cool, mild morning hours. This wine was created to exemplify how cooler conditions impact Pinot Noir, and to honor our first plantings. The resultant wines are delicate, with finesse and fine balance.

Ah, 10 Acre. The Chambolle-Musigny of the West. Always the most graceful expression of Patton Valley, with wild red fruit on the nose like Rainier cherry, and Hood strawberries (the taste of the mountains!), and fresh pine. The palate is fine layers of fruit, dusty tannin, nervy acidity, and fresh herbs throughout, lingering for an age. Easily, will steadily improve for the next decade.