2016 Day Ranch

91 Points: Josh Greene Wine & Spirits - April 2019

“This is MacRostie’s first pinot noir from outside of Sonoma County, sourced from a vineyard in Philo where the vines grow on an alluvial terrace 15 miles from the coast. That coastal influence is in the cranberry and brambly blackberry freshness of the fruit, with high-toned florals and deeper umami notes of cloud-ear mushrooms. Oak adds to the wine’s tannic weight, but those tannins are yielding and will merge into the fruit complexity with bottle age.”

Slightly warmer than average, the 2016 growing season proved to be a very good one, with conditions nearly perfect for growing Pinot Noir. A well-timed cool spell in August slowed ripening down, enabling the fruit to develop evenly to full maturity without sugars being too high. Day Ranch Vineyard is planted to clone 667, and we harvested our fruit on September 8th, 2016.

Exploring yet another area in Coastal Northern California, we ventured a bit north to just outside of Sonoma County in Mendocino County’s Anderson Valley. This rustic landscape is near the town of Philo and is just 15 miles from the Pacific Ocean. This vineyard is planted on an alluvial terrace that abuts a mountainside.

• composition:

  100% Pinot Noir

• alcohol: 13.9%
• cases made:

  187 Cases

• bottling date: 10/31/2017
• aging:

  Aged 11 months in French oak, 29% new, 29% one-year-old

• fermentation:

  Gently destemmed into open-top fermenters; three-day cold soak; cap management included pump-overs & punch-downs