Killian Wine Shop

2016 Pinot Noir

Tasting Notes:

I love the brilliant ruby tone of this wine, followed by an open perfume of raspberries, dried cherries, and an ethereal note of violets.  Great soft and viscous mouth feel with very moderate tannins framed by only a hint of toasty, vanilla scented oak.  Balanced acidity finishes this wine that displays a broad sense of elegance rather than power, and will compliment a wine range of cuisine - perfect for find dining!

Vineyard Notes:

This wine was made from a select vineyard in the extreme northern part of the Sonoma Coast at an elevation of about 1100 feet, growing above the coastal fog line on well drained sedimentary soils of sandstone, shale and clay-loam typical of the California coastal ranges.  This vineyard contains a mix of premier Pinot noir clones, which lends layers of complexity to its wines.

Vintage Notes:

For the first time in five years, the winter before the 2016 growing season saw normal to high amounts of rain, finally breaking the drought.  This brought on a long and warm summer that saw even fruit ripening in an area of the northern Sonoma Coast that has very little available water other than winter rainfall.

Winemaker Notes:

This Pinot fruit was harvested by hand into half ton bins, and taken to the winery where it was hand sorted to crush only the optimal clusters, then fermented in open top, punched down tanks until dry.  Then gently pressed to avoid harsh tannins, and simply filled into 59 gallon French oak barrels to undergo malolactic fermentation and age quietly for 17 months, gaining softness and complexity.

Killian Wines selected only 7 of these barrels to bottle under our label.  We carefully racked the wine out of the barrels under nitrogen protection, and bottled it on June 28, 2018.

Appellation:

Sonoma Coast

Harvest Date:

September 8 - 20, 2016

Production:

177 cases

Fermentation:

7 days on skins

Barrel Aging:

17 in French barrels

Alcohol:

14.5%

pH:

3.56

Residual Sugar:

.03% (dry)

Total Acidity:

6.2g/l

Bottling Date:

June 28, 2018

Release Date:

August 2018

Aging Potential:

5 to 10 years