2003 Pinot Noir, Rio Vista Vineyard Magnum (1.5 L)
Specifications
- Appellation Sta. Rita Hills
- Bottling Date September 2003
- Harvest Date September 2002
- Region Santa Barbara County
- Varietal Pinot Noir
- Vintage 2003
- Winemaker Norm Yost
Production Notes
207 cases produced.
Vineyard Notes
Rio Vista Vineyard is the newest addition to the Flying Goat Family. This beautiful vineyard is the most eastern vineyard in Santa Rita Hills, located on the south side of Santa Rosa Road just as you enter the Santa Rita Hills appellation from Highway 101.
Winemaker Notes
In 2003 we had the opportunity to purchase a few tons of Clone 777 and 667 Pinot Noir grapes from this newly developed vineyard. Each of the clones was harvested separately during a somewhat usual growing season. The fruit was delivered to us in impeccable condition – small clusters, picked first thing in the morning and at a perfect ripeness. We de-stemmed the grapes immediately upon arrival at the winery, and then kept each clone separate during fermentation and pressing of the new wine. Then each wine was gravity fed to a combination of new and older French oak barrels to minimize oxygen pick-up, part of our philosophy of minimal handling of the wine. Using old world winemaking methods and minimal intervention the wine was allowed to age to its natural perfection for twelve months. We tasted through the wines each month, and once we determined they had gained just the right amount of flavors from the barrels and integration from aging, the wine was racked using inert gas to push the wine instead of pumping. At this point the clones were blended together to provide balance and complexity. Prior to bottling the wine was lightly filtered to provide a brilliance and remove any lingering sediment.