2020 Corralitos Pinot Noir

Aromas of strawberry, orange rind, clove, cinnamon, lavender, cranberry, and peach. A soft entry with medium body. Subtle tannins and fresh acidity make for a pleasant and lingering finish. TG (1/23)

This cool-climate, coastal vineyard is planted to five clonal selections of pinot noir. Each was picked during the second week of September and fermented separately. After pressing, the wine was sent to barrel and aged sur lees for nine months. New oak was limited to five percent to optimize fruit expression. This sensuous wine will be at its best over the next seven years. JO (2/22)

Ridge made its first pinot noir in 1971. Until the 2018 vintage of Corralitos Pinot Noir, that had been the only one produced. To explore this grape variety again, we sourced from a vineyard in Corralitos, six miles from the Pacific Ocean. The cool climate of this coastal mountain site is favorable for moderating ripeness. Traditional methods were used to make this wine. It aged sur lees in Burgundy barrels and clarified naturally. This sensuous wine will be at its best over the next five years.

Rainfall: 25 inches (below normal)
Bloom: Late May
Weather: Decent rains in December led to dry weather in January and February. A very wet March and April helped the vines during the growing season. Unsettled weather in June saw several heat spikes in between cool spells. The rest of the summer was mild until the middle of August, when we saw very hot temperatures.

Harvest Dates: 5 – 11 September
Grapes: Average Brix 24.1˚
TA: 5.24 g/L
pH: 3.75
Fermentation: Grapes were de-stemmed and fully crushed. Natural primary and natural secondary (malolactic) fermentations.
Barrels: 80% American oak and 20% French oak (10% new, 10% one year old, 10% two years old, and 70% three years old).
Aging: Nine months in barrel

Hand-harvested grapes; de-stemmed and fully crushed; fermented on the native yeasts; full malolatic on the naturally occurring bacteria; oak from barrel aging; minimum effective sulfur (35 ppm at crush, 84 ppm during aging). In keeping with our philosophy of minimal intervention, this is the sum of our actions.

Average Rating: 90.2

No. of Tasting Notes: 11

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