Chamisal Vineyards - 2008 Estate Pinot Noir

As a blend of the variety of clones from different blocks throughout our vineyard, our Estate wines are bold, beautiful and capture the complete expression of the estate and that varietal.

Chamisal Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir Label

Appellation: Chamisal Vineyard, Edna Valley
Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir
Clones: 115, 113, 667, Pommard, 114, 777, 943, Archery Summit, 2A
Oak treatment: 13 months in 40% new French oak
Alcohol: 14.8%
Cases made: 2,200
Release date: June, 2010
Retail price: $38.00 Buy
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$38.00 Buy

THE VINEYARD
Chamisal was the first vineyard planted in the Edna Valley in 1973 and now contains 80 acres planted to 5 varieties and 25 clonal selections. The nearby Pacific Ocean creates a long temperate growing season for exceptional hang time, which combines with the calcareous, clay-rich soil to produce fruit with exceptional intensity and complex flavors.

VINTAGE
A dry La Niña winter and spring led into a typically beautiful San Luis Obispo summer. Very stable weather patterns meant little in the way of strong winds, marine layer or heat waves during summer. However, October turned up the heat and we experienced two weeks of temperatures reaching 90°F and above, so we harvested rapidly over back-to-back nights to retain the balance of sugars and acids.

WINEMAKING
Our grapes were night-harvested by hand over 32 separate picks between September 30th and October 15th. Each pick was hand-sorted in the vineyard, then gently destemmed to keep the berries as whole as possible. This fruit was gravity fed into small open-top tanks for a short cold soak followed by 7-10 day fermentations at cooler temperatures, using both native and cultured yeasts. The finished wine was then racked to barrel for 13 months of aging in 40% French oak barriques.

CLONAL SELECTION
Our estate Pinot Noir always showcases a wide range of clones within our vineyard, with this vintage capturing 9 of the 10 Pinot Noir clones planted. This vintage has a core of Clone 115, an all-around performer, with careful additions of 113 providing structure; 667 lending complexity; and Pommard, adding intense varietal character and making up the majority of the blend.

TASTING NOTES
Encompassing nine different clones, our 2008 Pinot Noir represents the unique terroir and quality of our estate vineyard. Intense aromas of dark cherry and black raspberry are intertwined with notes of cedar, bramble spice and dark chocolate that lead straight into a generous palate that echoes the dark fruit of the nose. Firm, dry tannins, support the sweet, rich fruit flavors through a chewy finish, laced with hints of cocoa, caramel and toasty oak.