The dark, dense garnet color in the glass hints at the darker fruits that dominate the palate. Plum, blackberry, black cherry, and cassis are all present in this rich offering. This wine shows some wet earth minerality as well as savory, meaty notes. The palate is velvety soft up front and leads to a tighter, more angular mid-palate and finish.
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. Because of its exceptional structure and richness, this blend was aged for 10 months in French oak barrels, with 25% new oak and 38% once-filled oak. It was bottled on September 14th, 2019.
2019 was a remarkable growing season for most of Sonoma County with ample winter rainfall creating wet soils and cool temperatures that delayed bud break in some areas. Spring and summer brought moderate to slightly above average temperatures, late May rains delayed flowering slightly but helped to produce smaller looser clusters that produce very flavorful and concentrated wines. The grapes for our Terra de Promissio Pinot Noir came from one block of the vineyard, planted to Clone 777. The grapes were harvested by hand in the cool early morning hours of October 1st, 2019. The Karren family is intimately involved with each pick and you often see Diana and her mother on the tractors picking leaves from the fruit as the clusters are harvested.
Terra de Promissio, or “Land of Promise,” is the realization of the Karren family’s dream to build a home and raise their family on a site where they are able to grow world-class grapes. Located near Petaluma, amid postcard-perfect rolling hills, their vineyard has attracted the attention of several esteemed winemakers. Located in the Sonoma Coast, Terra de Promissio’s Pinot Noir is heavily influenced by the Pacific Ocean and the winds that come in from the Petaluma Gap each day.