2013 Barden Pinot Noir

The BARDEN trade name is my middle name and its English meaning is “Lives near the boar's den” … thusly we have adorned the label with an image of the wild boar that is pervasive in our area’s vineyards.

Barden Pinot Noir is formed so as to touch the heart, mind, body and soul. It’s wrapped in a cloak of mystery, lightly adorned, and respected. Ours is a swirling worldly vision, moody but aware. We dared and entered this world with trepidation. Pinot Noir is fiend-ishly complex; we realize we are on the road to madness. It lives in the boar’s den...

Vineyard Region: Sta. Rita Hills – La Encantada Vineyard (64%), John Sebastiano Vineyard (27%), & Zodovich Family Vineyard (9%)

Vintage Conditions: 2013 was a good year for growers, as the yields were high and the quality was very good. Nice cool mild summer, low wind spring, so a great set. No rain, no frost, and no storms – amazingly. Summer arrived with little fog and perfect clear warm (not hot) days allowed for slow grape development retaining natural grape acidity resulting in low alcohol wines with rich concentrated varietal flavors.

Winemaking: The fruit was hand sorted, 30% whole cluster, 6-10 day cold soak, natural (wild) fermentation, only free-run wine used, no SO2 during maturation on full lees, bottled un-fined and unfiltered.

Maturation: This wine was matured for 10 months in 36% new and 36% one year (36%) and third year (27%) old French oak barriques from Tonnellerie Françoise Frères and Tonnellerie Ermitage.

Wine Analysis:  Alcohol 13.0%, pH 3.67, and TA 6.6 g/L.

Production:  488 six packs. 

ACCOLADES

91 POINTS Wine & Spirits

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