This Pinot Noir has an attractive cranberry color and exudes intense aromas of black cherry, strawberry pie, and a hint of dried rose petals. The barrel influence is of pine resin and dusty oak. The palate is as intense as the aromas, with big, rich tannins on the entry and generous layers of lush, mouthfilling fruit. This is a standout wine, with the promise of a long life ahead.
The fruit was gently destemmed into small open-top fermenters, using state-of-the-art equipment and procedures to avoid any pumping of 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 10 months in French oak barrels, 44% of which was new. This enhanced the deep color and broadened the palate of this lovely wine, which was bottled July 31st, 2018.
The 2017 vintage followed a cool, very wet winter. The soils were moist and rich, and required extra meticulous care with cover crop management and canopy management. There was a heat spike at the end of August that had little effect on this vineyard because it lies so close to the ocean. Clone 115 and Clone 777 were picked from this vineyard on September 21st, 2017.
Putnam Vineyard is located on the far Sonoma Coast, just 6 miles from the Pacific Ocean in the very northwestern part of the appellation near the town of Annapolis. There, cool maritime breezes and the vineyard’s proximity to the Pacific provide optimal growing conditions for Pinot Noir. At 580 feet in elevation, the Putnam’s cool marine climate creates just the right amount of stress on the vines to produce exceptional wines.