' Ken Brown - 2008 Rancho La Vina Pinot Noir | Ken Brown Wines

2009 Rancho La Viña Pinot Noir

About This Wine:

This bottling from Rancho La Viña displays an extraordinarily deep garnet color, a testament to the small berries of this low vigor site. Aromas of blackberry, black raspberry and dark cherry are accented by hints of vanilla bean, black peppercorn and chanterelle mushrooms. A decadent texture on the front of the wine gives way to rich flavors of blackberry, vanilla and dark chocolate almond. The creamy texture and rich tannins are beautifully balanced by a thread of natural acidity and culminate in long, lingering finish. The wine will continue to grow in complexity with additional cellaring.  
 

Wine Profile:
  Vintage: 2009
  Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir
  Appellation: Santa Rita Hills
  Vineyards: Rancho La Viña
  Acid: 6.3 g/l
  PH: 3.59
  Alcohol %: 14.8%
     
Vineyard Sources:

100% Rancho La Viña Vineyard (Santa Rita Hills). This remarkable new 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 blocks used for Ken Brown Wines are planted to Pinot Noir clones 115, 667 and 777.

Vintage Notes:
The 2009 vintage began with cool temperatures in spring and early summer, but by late August, a series of warm days arrived, jumpstarting the harvest earlier than expected. Warm days alternated with cooler days, a pattern that allowed the grapes to fully develop with ideal color and character. For the third year in a row, rainfall totals were below average, which helped control vine vigor, producing superb concentration and flavors in the grapes.
Yields at Rancho La Viña averaged 2.0 tons per acre. Harvest began on October 5 and ended on October 10.

 
Winemaker Notes:
Pinot Noir clusters from Rancho La Viña Vineyard were hand sorted before being de-stemmed and immediately chilled for a pre-fermentation cold soak where the most beneficial extraction of color, aroma and flavor occurs. During fermentation, concentration was enhanced by gently punching down the cap. As soon as the wine reached dryness, it was pressed and transferred to 60-gallon French oak barrels where it aged for 19 months. About 40% of the barrels were new French oak.