1997 Camp Meeting Ridge Pinot Noir
Tasting Notes
Since bottling, this wine has been developing an increasingly complex mixture of ripe plum, black cherry, and earth tones. On opening, more mineral and forest floor tones are noted with a hint of rhubarb (as in strawberry-rhubarb pie). As the wine breathes, the CMR trademark East India spices and dark, rich fruits begin to appear. The wine continues to evolve in the glass to late aromas of cardamom, tea leaf, and smoky, roast coffee framed in sweet vanilla and cola. On the palate, the wine's layered tannins indicate that this offering will continue to age for a long, long, time. The structure has a rich midule core that supports both the acid and tannin structure, making the wine enjoyable now, but patience should reward the collector with a superbly sculptured wine perhaps even 10 years down the track.
Facts
- Blend of our 11 mature home ranch clones from primarily SE facing slopes, mostly meter by meter spacing
- 100% native yeast & malolactic fermentations
- 75% new oak: primarily François Freres with wood from Tronçais forest, high toast/toasted heads but also a move to sweeter wood such as Marsannay and a smattering of traditional Burgundian coopers such as LaTour and Billon. Total time in barrel: 14 months
- Harvest: mid September to early October
Clonal component descriptions
- Swiss clones: UCD-23, Wadenswil 1A and 2A: power and grace; 23 giving dark color and brooding dark fruit tones while the Wadenswils give more bright fruit and sweet palate
- Dijon Clones 113 and 115: intense spiciness from the stems, almost like Christmas cake. 115 has more hard tannins and 113 more soft, bright fruit and sweet core
- Calera: a backbone wine, with tiny, current-sized berries from 3 separate selections giving intensity and fine tannin richness to the wines
- Swan (Dehlinger and Carneros Creek selections): perfume and structure, with silky, firm tannins to back the almost sandalwood-like perfume
- Pommard: the veritable switch-hitter of Pinot, giving both fruit and substance in almost any vintage
Final bottling technical information
- pH: 3.58
- TA: 6.0 g/L
- 13.8% alcohol
- Residual sugar: 0.05 g/L (searingly bone-dry)
Bottled unfined and unfiltered in late December 1998