2008 LE BON CLIMAT VINEYARDS
Pinot Noir / Santa Maria Valley

This wine hails from Le Bon Climat Vineyards in the Santa Maria Valley, where the Burgundian expertise of Jim Clendenen is evident at every turn. 

Our selection from this vineyard is Clone 115, which is favored for yielding complex and classic Pinot Noir traits that are uniquely shaped by the vineyard’s sandy loam soil and hillside exposure just south of the Santa Maria River.

WINEMAKING DETAILS

Harvested on September 24 at 23.5 Brix        
Clone 115 / Riparia                
TA 6.0 gm/L  
pH 3.70
Bottled August 2010
149 cases produced

A portion of the grapes was placed in the fermenters as whole clusters (15%), and the balance was destemmed into the same fermenters. The fermentation occurred in one-ton fermenters, with a three-day cold soak prior to inoculation with Aussmanshausen yeast.  The must was basket pressed after 16 days on the skins. Malolactic fermentation was completed 31 days after pressing. The wine was aged in 100 percent French oak, of which 30 percent was new (Francois Freres V M+ and A M+). The balance was one- and two-year-old barrels. The wine was racked twice prior to bottling.

 

TASTING NOTES

Medium light, garnet in color. Raspberry and pomegranate red fruits show initially. This wine exhibits a touch of fresh, racy berry flavors with a hint of stem. One the palate the wine is still very young. It was fermented with 15% whole clusters and it shows. It has medium body with red fruit flavors. The entry is soft and supple with a nice underlying firmness which the vintage provided. There is minimal impact from the oak; rather it offers a supple roundness.

In general, the 2008 vintage provided wines that are elegant and a bit more restrained than previous vintages. It reminds me somewhat of the 2006 vintage. A slightly cooler year which produced somewhat edgier wines that, with a little time, will reward those who hold on to them. This vintage yielded wines that can age gracefully and have beautiful balance.