
Varietal
Pinot Noir
Vintage
2018
Olivet Lane
Vintage
2018
Appellation
Russian River Valley
Appellation
Russian River Valley
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Tasting NotesThis wine displays an opulent, dense fuchsia color, and offers vibrant blackberry and black cherry aromas with coffee undertones from its time in French oak. While the entry is powerful and fruit-driven, on the mid-palate it is beautifully balanced, with energetic underlying acidity providing a counterpoint to the rich tannins and supple mouthfeel. The finish is youthful and firm, ensuring that this beautiful wine will age wellfor many years to come.
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Wine OriginPlanted by the Pellegrini family in 1975, today, Olivet Lane is managed by the fourth generation of the family to be involved in winegrowing. The vineyard, which is named for the mature olive trees at the property entrance, is located in the Santa Rosa Plain neighborhood of the Russian River Valley, on an undulating benchland of well-drained, gravelly, clay loam soil. The foundation of this wine is the coveted Martini selection, a heritage clone that has played a key role in some of California’s greatest Pinot Noirs.
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Production NotesThe fruit was gently destemmed into small open-top fermenters, using state-of-the-art equipment and procedures to avoid any pumping of the must. Inoculation with select yeast strains followed a three-day cold soak, and the caps were managed with a combination of pump-overs and punch-downs. After 10 months of ageing in exclusively French oak barrels, 29% of which were new, and 29% once-used, we bottled on July 26th, 2019.
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Winemaker NotesThe 2018 growing season began with warm winter weather, before things turned cool and rainy in February, which prevented an early budbreak. While the rains continued, things warmed up again in March, providing ideal nutrients and growing conditions for the vines. From June onwards the weather was lovely and temperate, with sunny days and cool nights ensuring excellent flavor development and acid retention in the grapes. As harvest drew near, the weather turned warm providing a final push to ripeness. We hand-harvested the grapes exactly when we wanted to in the cool evening hours of September 20th, 2018.