Production Notes
Varietal Content: 100% Pinot Noir; Cooperage: 65% New, 35% Second Vintage French oak; Medium toast: Allier, Vosges and Tronçais Forests
Winemaker Notes
The rich aromas of our 2010 Split Rail Vineyard Pinot Noir spill from the glass with layers of sexy red fruit, licorice and a beguiling hint of pennyroyal. One of the most elegant of our 2010 offerings, this wine possesses a medium body, framed by a firm backbone of tannin that belies its weight and suggests excellent mid-term aging potential. On the palate, red cherry flavors are buoyed by a dusting of chocolate powder and subtle note of oak-inspired vanilla.
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.