1995 Camp Meeting Ridge
"Moon Select" Pinot Noir
Tasting Notes
1995 was one of the most cool Seaview/Camp Meeting Ridge growing seasons in the recent memory. Tiny berries hung long into the Fall, soaking up the sea-breeze-cooled sunshine. Sitting on our ridge-top site at a scant 100 feet or so above the 900-1000' fog ceiling, the fruit ripened to perfection, yielding a strong backbone of firm tannin and supporting acid structure that will allow this wine an exceptionally long life in the bottle. On the nose this special selection of clones gives ripe, dark fruit aromas with hints of coffee, barrel toast and mocha. The wine is still youthful, requiring some breathing or even decanting if opened in the next year after release. We recommend holding this wine for an additional 2-4 years for peak enjoyment.
Facts
- 100% Estate grown: 60% Swan, 40% Calera clones
- 100% native yeast & malolactic
- 100% new oak: François Freres Tronçais & Vosges forests, heavy toast, stavewood aged 3 years
- Harvest: early October, picked at approximately 25° Brix over an 14-day period with relatively high acid (8.5 g/L) and low pH (3.4) which is indicative of the cool maritime climate
- Yield: 1.5-2 tons/acre
- Left unracked in barrel for 14 months, bottled unfined & unfiltered
- Vineyard location: 12 miles North of the Russian River and approx. 1.2 miles from the Pacific ocean, astride very steep, high-altitude ridge-top, primarily NW-facing slope
- Vineyard terroir: steep, rocky-clay soils of ancient marine sediment and red volcanic loam. Ridge tops of over 1200' elevation are bathed in sunlight all day while the Pacific Coast and Russian River fogs lie in the valleys below, coming up to about 900'. Result is an extremely long, very cool but sunlight-filled growing season with bud break occurring generally 2-3 weeks before and harvest taking place around 2 weeks after Carneros.
- Plantings: 24 original acres (half Pinot, half Chardonnay) planted 1991 to primarily 3309 rootstock with vertical shoot positioning & spacing of both meter x meter (3' x 3') and 5' x 8'