2015 La Encantada Vineyard Pinot Noir
2015 La Encantada Vineyard Pinot Noir
Description
As part of Ken's 50th harvest celebrations, we'll be featuring outstanding older wines in our tasting room throughout the year. These wines will be available to taste and purchase while supplies last.Our first featured library wine is our 2015 La Encantada Vineyard Pinot Noir. Here we find the grace and elegance we expect from a 10-year-old Pinot. The color is a beautiful garnet hue. On the nose we find hints of figs, shitake mushrooms and forest floor. The silky pallet features cranberries, dried cherries and notes of balsamic, moving on to a smooth finish of cinnamon and dried thyme. The bright acidity allows the complex flavors to mingle and harmonize.
Vineyard Designation
La EncantadaVineyard Notes
100% La Encantada Vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills. Located just west of the legendary Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, La Encantada is in the heart of Sta. Rita Hills’ quintessential Pinot Noir zone. The estate was planted by Richard Sanford in 2001. Comprised of 100 acres of mostly Pinot Noir, this north-facing vineyard is planted on a ridge straddling the Santa Ynez River Valley and is open to cooling marine breezes, which sweep in from the Pacific Ocean. Soils are a combination of clay, loam, shale and sand. Half of the fruit sourced for Ken Brown Wines was the Swan clone while the other half was clone 115.Production Notes
The 2015 vintage is a record vintage in many ways. It was the earliest harvest on record, eclipsing the previous 2014 record by up to two weeks for most varietals. A relatively mild winter led to an early start to the ripening cycle. Once buds began to push, mild spring weather allowed them to develop at an accelerated pace uninterrupted by spring frosts. Yields were record low, especially in Pinot Noir, averaging 30-50% below historical averages. Near perfect ripening conditions coupled with small berry size resulted in superb quality fruit. La Encantada Pinot Noir was harvested on September 1.Winemaker Notes
Pinot Noir clusters for this wine were hand sorted before being de-stemmed and gravity fed to fermenters. The must was immediately chilled for a pre-fermentation cold soak where the most beneficial extraction of color, aroma and flavor occurs. Concentration was enhanced by gently punching down the cap several times per day. The wine aged 11 months in French oak barrels with 37% new French oak in the barrel mix. The wine was bottled on August 2, 2016.| Vintage | 2015 |
|---|---|
| Wine Style | Red Wine |
| Varietal | 100% Pinot Noir |
| Appellation | Sta. Rita Hills |
| Acid | 6.0 g/L |
| PH | 3.58 |
| Alcohol % | 14.4 |
| Size | 750 ml |