Description
“Drawing on three distinct vineyard sources – two within our own multi-blocked estate – gave me much to work with in this 2010 vintage. Fermenting a small portion of the wine in oak added a bit of creaminess and another component – which is what my winemaking is all about: developing and then layering different components to create complex, integrated, interesting wines. The red raspberry, cherry and strawberry flavors of this Artisan Pinot Noir mingle with notes of rose petal and cedar, while refined tannins provide silky texture and a touch of oak tension leads to an elegant finish.” – ...
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“Drawing on three distinct vineyard sources – two within our own multi-blocked estate – gave
me much to work with in this 2010 vintage. Fermenting a small portion of the wine in oak
added a bit of creaminess and another component – which is what my winemaking is all about:
developing and then layering different components to create complex, integrated, interesting
wines. The red raspberry, cherry and strawberry flavors of this Artisan Pinot Noir mingle with
notes of rose petal and cedar, while refined tannins provide silky texture and a touch of oak
tension leads to an elegant finish.” – Mark Beringer
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Vintage Notes
The winter of 2010 brought persistent periods of rain, and continued wet weather in the spring
slowed the growing season by spreading out the fruit-set phase in our vineyards for nearly six
weeks. A cool summer made for gradual ripening until the end of August when we experienced a
short but extreme heat spell. Our harvest in Carneros started two weeks later than average and
progressed at a slow pace with continued moderate temperatures. Warmer weather returned the
last week of September and lasted for two weeks, bringing our grapes to maturity
Vineyard Notes
Fully 80% of the grapes for this blend were sourced from Artesa’s estate vineyard in Carneros. The majority (50% of the total blend) were from blocks spread out in front of the winery, with clay loam soils and older vines that yield grapes with sweet, bright flavors and supple tannins. Another portion (30% of the total blend) came from high elevation hillside blocks. Here the lightly-textured silt loam soils naturally regulate vine vigor and as a result Pinot Noir from these blocks display immense concentration and fruit intensity. Finally, 20% of the blend was sourced from the highly-regarded Sangiacomo Vineyard ...
more
Fully 80% of the grapes for this blend were sourced from Artesa’s estate vineyard in Carneros.
The majority (50% of the total blend) were from blocks spread out in front of the winery, with
clay loam soils and older vines that yield grapes with sweet, bright flavors and supple tannins.
Another portion (30% of the total blend) came from high elevation hillside blocks. Here the
lightly-textured silt loam soils naturally regulate vine vigor and as a result Pinot Noir from
these blocks display immense concentration and fruit intensity. Finally, 20% of the blend was
sourced from the highly-regarded Sangiacomo Vineyard in Sonoma Carneros, where clay/loam
soils mixed with rocks and shale produce Pinot Noirs of finesse and elegance
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Winemaker Notes
Hand harvesting the fruit over a two month period as each block achieved ripeness, the grapes were de-stemmed and given a five-day cold soak, a traditional method used by Winemaker Mark Beringer to gently extract color and flavor from the delicate skinned Pinot Noir. Fermenting most of the wine in open-top fermenters, Beringer also fermented a small portion (@10%) of the juice in 500-litre French puncheons – oak casks a little over twice the size of a regular barrel. When the wine was dry it was placed in a combination of new and seasoned French oak barrels (a 50/50 blend) ...
more
Hand harvesting the fruit over a two month period as each block achieved ripeness, the grapes
were de-stemmed and given a five-day cold soak, a traditional method used by Winemaker Mark
Beringer to gently extract color and flavor from the delicate skinned Pinot Noir. Fermenting most
of the wine in open-top fermenters, Beringer also fermented a small portion (@10%) of the juice
in 500-litre French puncheons – oak casks a little over twice the size of a regular barrel. When the
wine was dry it was placed in a combination of new and seasoned French oak barrels (a 50/50
blend) for 9 months of aging
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