2009 Pinot Noir Aliette

TASTING NOTES
Soft cherry-garnet in color, with aromas of pink peppercorn and rose petals. On the palate, the fruit shows kirsch, cranberry, pie cherries and dried flowers with undercurrents of cinnamon. Medium to full bodied, soft velvety tannins carry into a long and elegant finish. This well-rounded wine will age gracefully for 8 to 10 years, and should be cellared for 1 to 2 years. If opening sooner, decant at least one hour before serving.

We recommend pairing the 2009 Aliette with something slightly salty like Greek dolmas, or a hard aged cheese, such as Parmigiano-Reggiano.

 

VINTAGE
The 2009 vintage started with a slightly delayed budbreak in the third week of April. After swift canopy growth from mid-May to June, full bloom ensued by June 18th, resulting in a healthy fruit set. By July, summer heat spells hastened fruit development and seed hardening. By executing a strategic leaf pulling program, we were able to delay exposing the fruit, despite the potential for sunburn damage, which was minimal compared to other sites in the valley where pulling was heavy and early. The growing season provided ample vegetative growth with a focus on maintaining a contained canopy, guiding the plant from green growth to fruit growth. Our clusters were abundant in number and plump with the start of veraison, from August 5th, onward. With appropriate hedging and fruit thinning, we managed to keep our target yields. The fruit matured progressively with very little fruit rot and increasingly lower yield, as dehydration set in. Harvest began on September 21st with Terres Basses and ended on October 12th. The overall quality of the fruit was exceptional with full, heavy clusters, good color, and an ideal balance of sugars and acids.

VINEYARDS
The 2009 Aliette is a selection of our Estate grown Pinot Noir Pommard from the Aliette vineyard (named after owner Bernard Lacroute’s mother) and small amounts of the Dijon clones. Aliette, situated on a gentle hill between 560 and 600 feet high, was the first vineyard planted at WillaKenzie Estate, in 1992. The ground has a deep layer of Willakenzie soil on top of harder to penetrate sandstone. As a result, the vines have spread their roots deeply and rarely need irrigation. Approximately half the fruit was thinned at veraison to assure low yields and maximize flavor and intensity. The blocks of Pinot Noir were closely monitored as the harvest date approached, and the picking date was chosen based on taste and maturity.

Yield: 2.5 tons/acre  –  Brix: 24.5°  –  pH: 3.5  –  TA: 6.3

 

WINEMAKING
In our gravity-fed winery, this 2009 Pinot Noir was handcrafted to achieve a fully extracted and complex style. A cool maceration preceded the open-top, Burgundian style fermentation for a total of 28 days of skin contact and daily punchdowns by ‘Bigfoot’, our pneumatic punchdown device. The wine was then gravity fed directly to barrels where it underwent 100% Malolactic fermentation during the next 6 months. The wine spent a total of 15 months in 50% new French oak from a selection of four coopers. The wine was bottled unfiltered and unfined.

Alcohol : 14.2% — pH: 3.7 — TA: 5.4

REVIEWS

 2008 Vintage:

ROBERT PARKER’S WINE ADVOCATE
“The 2008 Pinot Noir Aliette spent 15 months in 50% new French oak before bottling without fining or filtration. Sandalwood, cinnamon, incense, violets, and assorted black fruits compose the nose of this still somewhat austere, structured offering. It has all the right stuff but another 2-3 years of cellaring are needed for the wine to fully blossom. It will provide optimum drinking from 2012 to 2020.”   – Jay Miller

STEPHEN TANZER’S INTERNATIONAL WINE CELLAR
“Deep red. Strawberry and raspberry preserve aromas are complicated by deeper notes of cola, sassafras and black tea. Deep but lively in the mouth, offering juicy red and dark berry flavors and hints of smoky Indian spices and root beer. Fine-grained tannins add shape and grip to the long, chewy finish.” - Josh Raynolds

 

See reviews of WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir Aliette

To see tasting notes from previous vintages please visit our Trade Toolkit