AROMA: lilac, black plum, orange pekoe tea
FLAVOR: Maraschino cherry, red licorice, 5-spice
FOOD PAIRINGS: tempura mushrooms, duck confit, carnitas
VINIFICATION: 5.15 tons hand-harvested and sorted on September 13th. Fermented on 33% whole clusters using wild yeasts. A 5-day cold soak preceded a 14-day fermentation. Cap management entailed one pump-over and one punch down daily. Pressed at dryness and aged 10-mos. in 30% new French oak. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
SITE: A hidden vineyard near the town of Aptos, 600ft above sea level and a mere 4 miles from the Pacific. Pinot Noir clones 115 and 777 planted in the late 1990s. Soil is a deep colluvial fan of sand and calcareous marine deposits with excellent drainage. Exchange of fog/sun ensures proper vine respiration and very even ripening. Maritime climate necessitates extended hang times. Farmed by Prudy Foxx, aka "The Vine Whisperer."
NOTES: It’s not difficult to make good wine in California. It’s very difficult to make great wine here. Saveria Vineyard, in the Santa Cruz Mountains, is firing on all cylinders. It's likely a combination of maturing vines (25+ years) and the vineyard work of Prudy Foxx and her crew. But there is something else. We believe that site reigns supreme. Even the most skilled winemakers / farmers can take an average site—especially Pinot Noir—only so far. The greatest wines in the world come from the greatest vineyard sites. This is absolute. Saveria is just such a site in our view. We now have 11 vintages to reflect back on and one thing is certain: the site shines through every year. There's a tonal radiance to the wine—a briny, coniferous quality bespoke of the coastal redwoods enclosing the vineyard. We gave the 2022 six additional months in barrel to refine the tannins characteristic of the vintage. As such you'll have to be patient with this wine. Should be good to go by Turkey Day (and until Turkey Day 2034 and beyond).
