Production Notes
Varietal Content: 100% Pinot Noir; Cooperage: 65% New, 35% Second French oak; Medium toast: Allier, Vosges and Tronçais Forests
Winemaker Notes
Featuring both hillside and valley floor plantings, Confluence Vineyard is one of the most diverse properties in our Estate portfolio—and the warmest. As a result, even in the cooler 2010 vintage Confluence delivered a wine notable for its depth and richness. The nose begins with fresh cracked cinnamon stick aromas, as well as a hint of iodine. On the palate, the tannins are opulent and firm, adding to this wine’s generous structure, with well-integrated oak that contributes subtle nuances of vanilla bean and caramel. Good acidity adds length to the finish, which concludes with notes of saddle leather and blueberry muffin.
Production
The season began with a wet winter and spring. Despite rain and cool temperatures we had a window of good weather during bloom, and saw little-or-no shatter. Overall, we set a normal crop load of approximately 2.0-2.5 tons per acre. We chose not to do any substantial leaf stripping. As a result, we saw almost no sun damage during a heat event in late August. This ideal hot weather allowed the vines to focus on ripening. Harvest began on September 15, and we picked our Estate vineyards block by block over five weeks. While the Brix were a little lower than normal, we always pick in a spectrum of Brix for added complexity, and all our fruit was in the preferred range. Overall, the 2010 vintage produced great color, fantastic aromatics and balanced acids, all with the fleshy structure and texture that are hallmarks of great Anderson Valley Pinot Noir.