2022 The Loch

The 2022 vintage was impacted by a third consecutive year of drought that resulted in a reduction in yields from 10-30%. The growing season was temperate, which in grape growing means we were on track, or ahead of normal growth. Then we saw some heat spikes that prompted our first picks. The grapes for each vineyard contributing to The Loch (River Road Ranch, Calesa, Huichica, Thale’s, Dutton’s Manzana, Nightwing, Olivet Lane, Klopp Ranch, and Gap’s Crown) were individually harvested by hand between August 25 and September 13, 2022.

Combining decades of winemaking mastery, with our long history on the Sonoma Coast, The Loch is our consummate Pinot Noir blend, artfully crafted from our best blocks and barrels of wine. “Our goal is simple, but not easy,” says Winemaker Heidi Bridenhagen. “We search our cellar for our most beautiful wines of the vintage—stirring wines that sing on the palate. Then we begin blending.” Like a secret code unlocked by our winemakers, The Loch embodies everything that we know about making great Pinot Noir. We named our pinnacle Pinot Noir and Chardonnay blends The Loch and The Key, both as a nod to our founder Steve MacRostie’s Scottish heritage and to his early experiences as a U.S. Army cryptographer in Europe.

• composition:

  100% Pinot Noir

• alcohol: 14.2%
• cases made:

  609

• bottling date: 03/01/2024
• aging:

  Aged 10 months in 20 different barrels: 29% new, 33% one-year-old

• fermentation:

  Gently desteemed into small one-ton fermenters, keeping lots separate; three day cold soak.