2021 North Canyon Vineyard Pinot Noir

Less than twenty miles from the Pacific Ocean, North Canyon Vineyard sits along the Santa Maria River bench in a secluded canyon that provides some protection from the region’s renowned maritime influences. Located a bit off the direct valley, temperatures are often a few degrees warmer and North Canyon is exposed to extended periods of sunshine that ensure Pinot Noir matures to a bright red fruit character. A variety of rootstocks and clones are planted in calcareous clay and sandstone at North Canyon, which differs from the valley’s defining marine mixture of ancient seabed, clay loam and sand. Fruit from one select block, located on a bluff in the southern, cooler end of the canyon, was chosen for this Pinot Noir. In order to achieve the same high level of quality wines, the farming of North Canyon is uniquely hands-on, which ensures viticulture practices and farming measures are comparable with that of Etude’s Estate Vineyards.

The grapes for this wine were harvested at night to preserve freshness and integrity. They were placed in open-top fermenters for 3-5 days of cold maceration followed by fermentation. The grapes were 100% destemmed to preserve the fragrant aromatics and to allow the fruit character to shine. Punch downs were performed during the early stages of fermentation with the extraction becoming gentler as the wine became dry and followed with a quiet extended maceration to help modify the richness and mouthfeel of the wine. The wine was lightly pressed into small French oak barrels where it rested for 14 months.