Production Notes
Varietal Content: 100% Pinot Noir; Cooperage: 100% French oak - 30% new, 20% second vintage, 50% neutral
Winemaker Notes
Once again, de Villiers Vineyard has yielded one of Mt. Harlan’s most luxurious and robust Pinot Noirs, with deep, penetrating flavors of ripe plum, black cherry and cassis. As it unfurls, the wine reveals beautiful underlying complexity, with fine-grained tannins and hints of white pepper, sassafras and cigar box lingering on the finish.
Production
A wet winter, with more than double our average annual rainfall, made for very happy vineyards in 2017. While budbreak arrived slightly later than usual, warm spring weather led to excellent fruit sets at our Mt. Harlan vineyards, with above-average yields for both Pinot Noir and our white varieties. Thanks to the abundant early season rains, and Mt. Harlan’s high elevation and marine-influenced climate, our estate vineyards weathered a significant Labor Day heat event wonderfully, producing complex and elegant wines, with beautifully balanced acids and sugars.