2006 Napa Carneros
Pinot Noir
Analysis
Vineyard: Rasmussen
Carneros Estate Vineyard on Cuttings Wharf
Road in the Napa-Carneros
Harvest
Date: September 20, 2006
Brix at Harvest:
24.7 degrees
Barrels: 40%
new, 60% once-used barrels. 80% French, 20%
Hungarian oak
Chemistry at
Bottling:
pH: 3.71
Total Acidity: 5.2 grams/liter
Alcohol: 13.87%
Free Sulfur Dioxide: 27 parts per million
Total Sulfur Dioxide: 84 parts per million
Bottling Date: August
22, 2007
Production:
1531 cases (12x750ml)
Notes: Of
the last ten vintages, I think that 2006 ranks
as one of the best—especially
for Pinot Noir. All through the summer we
had the kind of weather that makes grapevines
ecstatic….warm days, cool nights---and
no rain. Harvest temperatures were modest,
without the heat spikes that we saw in 2003
and 2004, and soil moisture stayed absolutely
appropriate for our old dry-farmed vines.
I have
now made wine from these grapes for so
many years, I have a good idea of what
fermentation procedures and techniques
bring out the best in them—three
or four days of pre-fermentation maceration,
a modest fermentation that peaks out at
about 85 degrees and then pressing just
at, or slightly before, dryness. I continue
to back off a bit on the oak; however,
after experimenting for several years with
small amounts of Hungarian oak, I finally
added some new Hungarian barrels to our
barrel program. They seem to really bring
out the best in Pinot Noir.
When you smell this wine you will think of
black cherries, mushrooms, licorice, raspberries
and vanilla. The taste carries these characters,
but adds a rich and round mouthfeel that
makes the wine truly a pleasure to drink.
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