2005 Pinot Noir, Rancho Santa Rosa Vineyard

Awards

Wine Enthusiast 87 points

San Francisco Wine Competition 2007 'Best of Class' & Sweepstakes Winner (Red)

Production Notes

Pinot Noir clone 667

Tasting Notes

Dark! Probably the darkest Flying Goat wine produced yet, this is a deep garnet colored Pinot Noir with flashes of crimson on the edges. A swirl unleashes bursts of concentrated blueberries, a hint of butterscotch and a wisp of mocha chocolate. The first impression upon a taste is the silky texture that glides across the palate, bringing more blueberry notes, joined by black raspberry, cherry, black plum and suggestions of menthol and cola. A long lingering finish includes the typical reminder of Sta. Rita Hills minerality. This is an elegant, seamless, integrated and rich wine with beautiful balance. Drinkable now, it can be cellared for another 3-6 years.

Vineyard Notes

Rancho Santa Rosa is a magnificent 240-acre vineyard that is truly more akin to 36 different vineyards than one larger one. Each of those 36 different parcels are specifically planted to the varietal, rootstock and clone that best matches the soil profile, terrain and aspect of that particular location in the vineyard. Situated in the heart of the Sta. Rita Hills appellation, the Pinot Noir at the property thrives in the foggy mornings, breezy afternoons and cool climate of the region. It is no wonder that the vineyard has been nicknamed “little Burgundy” for its focus on terroir. Clone 667 from hillside Block 16 is reserved for Flying Goat.

Winemaker Notes

When it comes to a vintage and a harvest, one can only say that 2005 was “dreamy”. Bountiful springtime rains, perfect weather at budbreak and flowering and a cool summer resulted in a vintage of abundance - higher yields than in past years and exceptional quality of fruit. The clusters from Rancho Santa Rosa were perfect and petite. The long growing season resulted in grapes of balance and intense flavors, and harvest was “almost leisurely”. Upon delivery to the winery in the early hours of the day, the grapes were de-stemmed and the intact berries placed into small 4’x4’ fermenters. Carefully monitored for temperature and taste, the fermenting must was punched down by hand several times each day to fully extract all the color, flavors and tannins from the skins. As soon as the new wine was perfectly dry, it was transferred to French oak barrels, 25% of which were new for a bit of oak influence and aging. The wines were bottled with a light filtration in
July of 2006.