1997 J Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley

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J Vineyards & Winery's 1997 Estate Bottled Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is an elegant composition of hand-selected fruit from five of our distinctive Pinot Noir vineyards sprinkled throughout the appellation. As with the assemblage technique he uses in sparkling wine, Winemaker Oded Shakked tasted and blended each lot for flavor and complexity.

The Vineyards
J Vineyards & Winery farms over 228 acres of premium vineyards in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County. The valley's characteristically cool weather contributes to rich depth of flavor and remarkable quality in Pinot Noir.

Each of J's vineyards contribute unique characteristics: opulence from the Robert Thomas Vineyard adjacent to the Russian River; bright red berries from Shirley's Vineyard nestled against Mark West Creek; a bit of elegance from Nick & Nonny's Vineyard; a touch of earthiness from the Teardrop Vineyard; and a brush stroke of rich color and structural concentration from Nicole's hillside clos.

Processing
The winemaking team first cold-soaked a portion of the fruit then fermented it in a combination of open-top and closed-top fermenters. Malolactic fermentation occurred in oak tanks and oak barrels. For barrel ageing, the wine was placed in 30% new oak for ten months. The winemaking team opted for rough filtration just prior to bottling.

Winemaker's Notes
Garnet in color with aromas of cherry, rose petals, licorice, and subtle oak. Flavors cherries, tea leaves, delicate smoky oak notes, black pepper, and fennel. This is decidedly a wine to pair with food; we like it with dark-meat fowl including turkey, guinea hen, quail, duck, seasonal wild mushrooms, veal, and pork.

Harvest: August 29th to September 26th 1997

Harvest Analysis: 23.2° Brix

Final Analysis: Alcohol 13.5% by volume

Bottling Date: August, 1997