Our debut vintage of Thale’s Vineyard Pinot Noir displays enticing aromas of wild strawberry underscored by layers of rich leather, tobacco, and resin. These elements are echoed on the palate, where they mingle with abundant spicy red fruit flavors that add dimension and complexity. While the grip and staying power of the tannins promise a long life for this wine, it will benefit from decanting in its youth.
The grapes were gently destemmed into small open-top fermentors, using state-of-the-art equipment and procedures to avoid any pumping of the must. Inoculation with select yeast strains followed a three-day cold soak, and the caps were managed with a combination of pump-overs and punch-downs. This wine was aged for 16 months exclusively in French oak barrels, 50% of which were new. It was bottled on February 23rd, 2015.
The warm 2013 season provided ideal temperatures and growing conditions at Thale’s Vineyard. To counter the robust youthfulness of the vines, we thinned the crop to just 2 tons per acre. This ensured that the vines stayed healthy and strong while yielding a wine with rich tannin. The fruit for this blend was predominantly Clone 667 grapes from the vineyard’s prized Block B, with the remaining grapes being Clone 2A from Block A. Both blocks were picked on August 27th.
Located just off Westside Road, and surrounding our beautiful MacRostie EstateHouse, Thale’s Vineyard is situated in the far northern part of the Russian River Valley. Named after founder Steve MacRostie’s wife, Thale (pronounced Thay-lee), the vineyard’s14 acres of Pinot Noir feature four different clones: 667, Pommard, 23, and 2A. Predominantly planted in 2009, Thale’s Vineyard features both valley floor and hillside blocks. The site yields a rich and ripe expression of Pinot Noir with great color and rich tannin.
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