Neyers Pinot Noir, Robert's Road

ColorCalifornia Size750ml Vintage2013

The early Pinot Noir bottlings from Joseph Swan amazed winemakers and critics alike with their similarity to fine Burgundy. Joe thought his greatest contribution to Pinot Noir in America was that his vines were directly descended from vineyards in Burgundy. There still exist in northern California a handful of vineyards planted to the Pinot Noir budwood that was so vital to his success. We found two of those vineyards, and winemaker Tadeo Borchardt is carving out his own legacy with fruit from them. The first is the Sangiacomo Family Roberts Road Vineyard, in the cool, fog-shrouded environs of the Petaluma Gap. The soil here is gravel with basalt. The second is Chuy Ordaz’s Placida Vineyard, on the Gold Ridge Clay of the Russian River Valley, west of Santa Rosa. We harvest fruit from both blocks by hand, then sort the berries. We remove about 50% of the stems, ferment in open top fermenters using native wild yeast. We punch down the cap manually several times daily. The wine is subsequently aged for one year in 60-gallon French oak barrels. Each wine has its own unique Burgundian profile, and each is a valuable example of what Joe was trying to accomplish.