AROMA: kirsch, Earl Grey, cranberry
FLAVOR: cola berry, cocoa nibs, Morello cherry
FOOD PAIRINGS: turkey burgers, roasted steelhead, 5-spice chicken wings
VINIFICATION: 1.2 T of Swan Clone + 1.3 T of Pommard hand harvested & sorted on Sept 30th & Oct 4th. Fermented on wild yeasts in small open-top tanks with 25% whole clusters. A 4-day cold soak preceded a gentle infusion during a 14-day fermentation. Aged for 10 mos in 16% new French oak barrels. Bottled unfined/unfiltered.
SITE: Lejano is Spanish for "distant" or "far away," which aptly characterizes the remote Sonoma Coast vineyards we source from. These fringy sites are situated 5-14 miles from the Pacific Ocean on a series of ridgelines and/or valleys at 400-700ft—placing them at the edge of the fog line. Clones Pommard & Swan planted in the late 1990s on diverse soils of sandy clay loam strewn with fossilized seashells. The extreme microclimate and meagre soils require a steady temperament and a willingness to work with low yields.
NOTES: With three years of extreme drought severely diminishing grape yields, we had to find an additional source for Lejano. We found two—a pair of wild, organically farmed sites west of Forestville ringed by redwood trees. These two sites and our stalwart Sealift Vineyard on the far Sonoma Coast are defined by their relationship with the nearby Pacific Ocean. They all cling to a series of hills at the fog line. The San Andreas Fault runs through this zone, lifting up complex soils full of mixed rock and fossilized scallop shells. The small clusters and hot weather at harvest in 2022 inspired us= to employ delicate winemaking protocols to hedge against any excessive color or weight. We did predominantly pump-overs and bottled only the free run juice. The result? A still dark, brooding Pinot Noir with medium to high grip, that needs some air to reveal its core of characteristic sour red fruit.
