♦ 2003 Pinot Noir - Estate ♦

Vineyard: Jarvis Vineyard - Estate
Wine: 100% Pinot Noir
Alcohol: 12.5%
Production: 28 cases





 

This Pinot Noir was grown on our Estate Vineyard adjacent to the old winery. The vineyard is a remnant of the much larger Jarvis Brother’s Vineyard which was first planted in 1863. The vineyard has been continuously operated since then with two re-plantings. This Pinot Noir was planted in 1969/70 and is mostly what is called the Wente Selection of Pinot Noir, originally from Chambolle-Musigny.

This was the final crop of this vineyard. When winery founder, Ken Burnap, retired, he sold this Jarvis Road property. The new owners took out this old Pinot Noir and replanted it.

Some of this wine went into a commercial release in 2003 that we called Vine Hill Reserve. It was a blend of this Estate wine and the first crop of the Bailey's Vineyard. But since this was such an important vineyard to us over the years we just couldn't blend away all of this very small last crop.

This vineyard always produced wine with many of the non-fruit complexities that are found in good Pinot Noir. But this 2003 vintage has those other components in great quantity. This wine has a wonderfully complex dusky, earthy, spicy character that just smells like the place it came from. This is history in a bottle.