2021 Rancho la Viña Vineyard Pinot Noir
2021 Rancho la Viña Vineyard Pinot Noir
Impressive concentration and complexity matched with youthful exuberance.
Description
It seems that each new vintage of Rancho la Viña is more intriguing and exciting than the last. The 2021 bottling shows impressive concentration and complexity matched with youthful exuberance. Red fruits dominate the aromatics, but a second sniff unearths subtle layers of darker plums, roasted meats and toasty French oak. The mouthfeel is rich and expansive. Flavors of ripe red plums and raspberries segue into a mouth-watering finish of pomegranates and dark chocolate. Pair with roasted game meats or a hearty Bolognese, or lay it down in the cellar for a few year to increase the complexity.
Vineyard Notes
This remarkable vineyard is located at the far western edge on the south side of the Sta. Rita Hills appellation. The 17-acre site was planted in 2005 on a gently sloped mesa, which is several hundred feet above the valley floor. The vines are fully exposed to the cool winds coming off the Pacific Ocean, making it one of the coldest Pinot Noir plantings in California. The block used for Ken Brown Wines is planted to Pinot Noir clone 115.
Production Notes
Sta. Rita Hills experienced an unseasonably cool growing season in 2021, pushing back vineyard development and ripening by an average of two weeks. Our harvest kicked off on September 8, then stalled for two weeks while grapes continued to ripen. Harvest continued well into October concluding with the final harvest of Radian Pinot Noir on October 18. The long hang time has encouraged excellent flavor development, complexity and concentration. The grapes for this wine were harvested on September 27th.
Winemaker Notes
Pinot Noir clusters for this wine were hand sorted before being de-stemmed and gravity fed to fermenters. The must was immediately chilled for a pre-fermentation cold soak where the most beneficial extraction of color, aroma and flavor occurs. While fermenting with native yeasts, concentration was enhanced by gently punching down the cap several times per day. The wine aged on its lees for 10 months in 25% new French oak barrels and was bottled unfined and unfiltered on August 16, 2022.
| Vintage |
2021 |
| Wine Style |
Red Wine |
| Varietal |
100% Pinot Noir |
| Appellation |
Sta. Rita Hills |
| Acid |
7.2 g/l |
| PH |
3.43 |
| Alcohol % |
14.3 |
| Size |
750 ml |
