| As the last hot days of summer carry over into autumn, you will find winemaker Ric Forman delicately balancing on the rims of ¾-ton bins of Pinot Noir grapes as he gently hand-punches the fragile fruit. Because Ric believes it is essential when it comes to crafting wine from this thin-skinned grape, all of the Antinori Vineyard grapes for the Rossi-Wallace Pinot Noir are hand-harvested and hand-punched.
In fact, treading softly could be Ric's motto when it comes to Pinot Noir; even with oak, he embraces a light touch. Rather than stocking his cellar with 100-percent new oak with a super heavy toast, he uses the thick-staved oak barrels of Burgundy, which impart a softly spicy Burgundian character to the wine. Only 30-percent of the oak is new.
Once in barrel, the wines undergo full malolactic fermentation, which adds life and dimension and helps tone down the new wood. The wines are aged sur lie for six months and racked only once. Aside from routinely stirring the lees, Ric remains as hands-off as possible, allowing the wines to develop in the barrels without his overt influence.
Ric and Cheryl talk about the 2010 Pinot Noir
We are basically Bordeaux varietal producers but have always had a secret love for the precocious Pinot
Noir grape. Pinot has both delicacy and power and can impress when made properly from a good source with
its intriguing violet berry fruitiness and luscious sweet flavors.
Our 2010 vintage has hit the mark! We love the pronounced Pinot aromas of ripe black cherry and violet.
The sweet mouth-filled flavors make us smile! Added to these fruit driven qualities the rich toasty
Burgundy barrel nuance elevates and rounds out the flavors. This is a rich wine and should develop
into quite a beauty over the next 3-5 years.
Price: $28/bottle
Production: 15 barrels
Delicately perfumed. Richly flavored. Comfort Pinot.
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