2004 Pinot Noir, Rio Vista Vineyard Clone 2A

Awards

Wine Enthusiast 84 points.

"Made from the old Wadenswil clone, this is a heavy, soft Pinot. It's very ripe in cherry, raspberry and chocolate flavors, and could use greater acidity to lift and brighten it."

Production Notes

Pinot Noir clone 2A; 184 cases produced.

Tasting Notes

Our first clonal designate, “Clone 2A” challenges its rather staid naming by displaying a brilliant shade of crimson with magenta highlights. A swirl unleashes aromas of berries, reminiscent of freshly baked cranberry muffins and sour cherry. A sip of this wine envelopes the palate with a silky texture carrying notes of violets, spice and late summer rhubarb, a hint of earthiness and a lingering, lasting reminiscent note of hard raspberry candy. This is an elegant wine, with soft tannins intermingled with bright acids and a beautiful balance. Enjoy it now, or wait (again) for Clone 2A, as the wine will continue to improve with age for the next 5-6 years.

Vineyard Notes

The Rio Vista Vineyard, appropriately named as it overlooks the Santa Ynez River, is the eastern gateway to the Sta. Rita Hills appellation. It is slightly warmer than the more western part of the appellation in normal vintages, but during the crazy heat spell of 2004, Rio Vista fared well and was actually cooler than vineyards closer to the Pacific Ocean. When Flying Goat was first approached by the Thorntons, owners of the vineyard, to join the ranks taking first fruit from this beautiful vineyard, we jumped at the chance and chose blocks on the steep hillside for our initial 2003 vintage. With the 2004 vintage, we increased our acreage and added a block of clone 2A Pinot Noir, thinking it would add an interesting spicy note to the Rio Vista blend. 2A tends to produce clusters with larger berries, rather bountiful yields and intensity. It is one of the Wadenswil selection, a group of Pinot Noir clones imported from Switzerland in the 1950’s. Many like it as a “blender” as it tends to add red fruit, spice and nuances like violets and blueberries to a wine, without affecting density or tannic structure.

Winemaker Notes

Well, clone 2A thrives in Sta. Rita Hills. It can easily stand on its own, and was so outstanding in 2004 that we decided to let it shine on its own! The grapes were hand harvested in mid September 2004 and delivered early in the day while still cool and firm. Gently de-stemmed and placed into small open top bins, the grapes were transformed to wine in about ten days and then placed into a combination of neutral and new French Oak barrels. We find that clone 2A takes a bit more time in barrel before its tannins lengthen it starts to show off, so we waited. Then, one fine day, this wine shone! Bottled at that point, we then had to wait again – for bottle shock to settle out – before releasing this wine in May of 2006.