2017 Gunsalus Vineyard Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley
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The bouquet has an oyster shell like minerality, with black cherry, macerated strawberries, and an accent of cinnamon and sarsaparilla, quite enticing… The palate is flirty and energetic, soft and lush. Hints of sour cherry, cedar and a whisper of black pepper, lead to a long, silky, smooth finish.
Pamela and Glen Gunsalus (“gun-say-lus”) are always in their vineyard, located on a west-facing slope near Green Valley in the Russian River Valley. These two former researchers have great intuition backed up by scientific rigor and it shows in the quality of their grapes. The Gunsalus vineyard is meticulously cared and sits on well-drained Sebastopol loam and Goldridge sandy loam soils, and produces extremely charismatic wines.
Wine Specs
Vintage
2017
Varietal
Pinot Noir
Appellation
Russian River Valley
Aging
20 months, 55% new French Oak
Alcohol %
14.8
Wine Profile
Tasting Notes
The bouquet has an oyster shell like minerally, with black cherry, macerated strawberries, and an accent of cinnamon and sarsaparilla, quite enticing… The palate is flirty and energetic, soft and lush. Hints of sour cherry, cedar and a whisper of black pepper, lead to a long, silky, smooth finish.
Awards
Gold Medal N. Coast Wine Challenge; Silver Medal SF Chronicle
Vineyard Notes
Pamela and Glen Gunsalus (“gun-say-lus”) are always in their vineyard, located on a west-facing slope in the Green Valley of Russian River Valley appellation. These two former researchers have great intuition backed up by scientific rigor and it shows in the quality of their grapes.
Production Notes
We picked the grapes at Gunsalus on September 6th. We retained 25% as a whole cluster component; the remaining grapes were sorted and destemmed, then a feral fermentation took off about six days after harvest. Frequent punch-downs took place throughout fermentation, then an extended maceration prior to pressing and barreling. The wine went through malolactic fermentation in French oak barrels. The wine was aged using barrels from five different coopers to help add layers of complexity. Malolactic fermentation occurred in barrel. The wine remained unracked until just before blending and bottling.
Production
11 barrels / 268 cases produced