FLOWERS PINOT NOIR

Description

Gorgeous aromatics open on our 2019 Sea View Ridge Pinot Noir, running an alluring gamut from damp forest floor, coastal botanicals, briny sea air, and crushed-rock minerality to deep red—almost purple—fruit. A seamless palate, from entry to finish, balances that vivid fruit with a savory umami quality, while silky tannins and fresh acidity merge in a structured finish brightened with a kick of orange zest.

WINEMAKER NOTES
VINTAGE
There is a great deal of beauty and expression to be found in the 2019 vintage. The growing season began with a cool winter and heavy rainfall; we even had snow on our estate! We already had cover crop coming up at this time, so the snow really oxygenated soils and brought them to life. Spring was clear and bright, with early bud break and cool, sunny days. Summer followed with mild temperatures allowing moderate ripening and resulting in an eloquent and expressive vintage with superb fruit quality.

WINEGROWING
Just 2 miles as the crow flies from the chilly Pacific Ocean, our Sea View Ridge Vineyard snakes along the first coastal ridgeline on peaks ranging from 1,400 to 1,875 feet. Its topography was shaped by ancient tectonic activity that we can thank today for a remarkable diversity of elevations, intricately varying aspects, and wildly diverse soils. Rising above the fog line during the growing season, our Sea View Ridge blocks were planted in 1998, and the mature vines now produce small berries with skins thickened from the intense sunlight. The natural concentration and complexity that result are lifted by lively acidity gifted by the cool site. All lovely in their intensity, the veritable mosaic of Pinot Noir expressions the vineyard produces allows us to blend a perfect Sea View Ridge whole.

WINEMAKING
Leading into the 2019 vintage, we embarked on an exciting series of studies into the soils and geology created in our vineyards by ancient volcanic activity. The mosaic we found was nothing short of astonishing. And inspired by the diversity of soils we discovered, we remapped our vineyard blocks and fine-tuned our winemaking to amplify the best traits. We picked in many small waves through the vineyard, focusing on the optimum balance of ripeness produced by each soil type. In the cellar, we customized our treatment for each small, open-top fermenter, varying cold soaks, fermentation temperatures, punch-downs or pump-overs, barrel selections, and toast levels to elevate the character of each lot. The precise winemaking rewarded our efforts with a distinctive new level of energy in our 2019 Seaview Ridge Pinot Noir.