2018 Burnside Vineyard Pinot Noir
This very cool vineyard site, bathed in ocean winds from Bodega Bay, has once again made a fascinatingly complex wine in 2018. Aromas of toffee, cardamom, dried tarragon, and licorice fold into dried strawberry and Bing cherry notes. 2018 produced a darker and more tannic version of Burnside Vineyard while maintaining the elegance, depth and complexity of this world-class Pinot site.
The weather in 2018 was spectacular, making this another exceptionally-fine vintage for Sonoma County. A near record long growing season, with plenty of cool days, punctuated with sunny and warm patches allowed flavors and textures to mature fully. Crop levels were above average, with many sites producing the best crops in years. The acidity levels are higher than normal, with perfectly ripened fruit. Though the year was cool, the fruit was very clean and high quality. A vintage to remember!
Burnside Vineyard is located just south-west of Sebastopol, on the corner of Watertrough Road and Burnside Road, in an area referred to by locals as the Sebastopol Hills. In one of the coolest areas in Russian River this awesome site is farmed by George Martinelli to a level of quality seen in very few vineyards in California. Goldridge sandy loam soils mark Burnside Vineyard as a superb Pinot Noir site, with a hillside orientation bending to the east for early morning sun exposure. Drawn from two blocks, one of Clone 115 and one of Clone 777, Burnside is an extremely low-yielding site producing very small, intensely flavored berries and clusters.
100% Burgundian French oak barrels (35% New)
Bottled without filtration to preserve the wine’s aromas and flavors and enhance aging potential
- Type:
- Red
- Varietal:
- Pinot Noir
- Region:
- California
- Appellation:
- Russian River Valley
- Vintage:
- 2018
- Blend:
- 100% Pinot Noir
- Alcohol:
- 14.5%
- Fermentation:
- Multi-yeast fermentations (native yeast, followed by cultured yeast); 100% malo-lactic fermentation in barrel