Description
Santa Maria Pinot Noir grapes come from four different vineyards. Each vineyard has its own distinct flavors and is fermented separately. All grapes were cold soaked for seven days. Bien Nacido and the majority of Riverbench were fermented whole cluster, no stems in small bins. A portion of Riverbench was submerged cap cold-fermented in an open top stainless steel fermenter. Torres and Sierra Madre were fermented 50% whole cluster with stems in small bins. On the sixth day of cold soaking each vineyard was inoculated with its own yeast strain. The bins fermented at approximately 68F to 85F for 14 to 16 days. The tank fermentation was at 65F. After fermentation the wines were left on their skins another 14 days. Aging was for 16 months in two to three year old French oak barrels.
