Winemaking Update
Ian Burch, Winemaker
Sparkling. This can describe every inch of our cellar, from the stainless-steel tanks that we ferment our Pinot Noir in down to the door handle we use to come into the building. Why? Because we are still waiting for the lovely 2022 fruit to be harvested and it’s early October. Nailing down an exact harvest date is always tricky, so while we wait, we stay busy with plenty of odd jobs and prep work. We’re grateful to have our interns on hand to get everything just right before the crush sets in.
With a very cold spring, vine growth was delayed this year and now we are patiently waiting for the fruit to ripen. As we wait, we clean, clean and clean some more. The crop estimates look plentiful, the forecast is cool and dry and nothing is forcing our hand to pick the fruit. This allows the clusters to color up, build balance of sugar and acid and could potentially give us some killer wines! This will be the latest the valley has collectively picked since 2011. The difference is that the fruit is much more evolved this season and the quality is shaping up to be excellent. Knock on wood!
In this shipment, we are excited to offer you the 2021 Archer’s Crest Pinot Noir and the 2019 Arcus Vineyard Pinot Noir Hills Pinot Noir. The 2021’s are wonderfully showy, highly nuanced and seem to be strutting their stuff even as young wines. The fruit for this cuvée comes from the core of Red Hills Vineyard, known for its Jory soils and slightly warmer microclimate.
We strategically held this 2019 back for you so that your friends wouldn’t sneak into your wine fridge and drink it while you were making them Beef Wellington and shucking oysters. Arcus is a house favorite and is nuanced both when it’s young and old and we can’t wait to have you try it.
