2009 Pinot Noir Terres Basses

TASTING NOTES
Dark ruby-garnet color. Notes of blue and black fruits give way to cedar, earth, and cigar box before finishing with a high citrus note. Fine, supple tannins coat the palate along with tart cherries, black forest fruitcake, fig and star anise. A long and intense finish brings the whole experience together with just a touch of dark fruit and red peppercorn. We recommend holding for 1 to 2 years before opening, or if not, decant at least one hour before serving. Aging potential is 8-12 years.

Pairs well with game meat such as venison or elk, as well as roasted duck with a red peppercorn reduction.

 

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 Terres Basses vineyard is the lowest block of the Estate vineyards, ranging in elevation from 320’ to 390‘. The soil composition of this parcel is quite different from the rest of the Estate and is a key contributor to the wine specificity. The vineyard was planted in 1997 to Dijon clones 113, 115. The rows are oriented north-south with an average density of 1750 plants per acre, and the vines are trained into an upright double guyot trellising system. This section of the vineyard does require a small amount of irrigation in the summer due to the structure of the soil.

Yield: 2.4 tons/acre — Brix: 24.5º — pH: 3.55 — TA: 6.5

WINEMAKING
In our gravity-fed winery, the 2009 Terres Basses was handcrafted to achieve a fully extracted and complex style. A cool maceration preceded the open-top,
Burgundian style fermentation for a total of 27 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 coopers and was bottled unfiltered and unfined.

Alcohol: 14.4% — pH: 3.75 — TA: 5.3

REVIEWS

2008 Vintage Reviews

ROBERT PARKER’S WINE ADVOCATE
“The 2008 Pinot Noir Terres Basses is my favorite of the vineyard designates. It is a harmonious offering with an inviting perfume of smoke, exotic spices, floral notes, and dark fruit aromas. Nicely proportioned on the palate, it displays excellent concentration and a lengthy, fruit-filled finish. It will deliver prime drinking from 2013 to 2023.”  - Jay Miller

   STEPHEN TANZER’S INTERNATIONAL WINE CELLAR
“Bright ruby-red. Cherry-vanilla and cola on the nose, with a spicy element increasing with aeration. Deeply pitched, nicely concentrated dark fruit flavors are complemented by notes of black cardamom and clove. Dusty tannins build on the impressively long, gently chewy, sweet finish.” - Josh Raynolds

To see tasting notes from previous vintages please click here.