Aromas of buttery cherry pastry, leather, and vanilla nougat comprise the satiny medium-to-full body followed by a long, creamy mocha, spiced berry, and mineral finish. A superb sipper or table wine.
As in previous vintages, Lagrein, the blue-black grape, native of the Alto Adige region of northern Italy, is the dominant grape. The resulting wine is dense, concentrated, and yet very balanced and elegant.
Piedra Creek Winery is one of only a few producers of the Lagrein grape in North America.
Vineyard Notes
The San Floriano Vineyard was planted in 1999. The unique and meticulous practice of hand selecting only the highest quality fruit played a fundamental role in the formation of San Floriano vineyard.
Piedra Creek Winery Estate wines are sourced almost exclusively from the San Floriano vineyard, which was planted with the fix of producing highest quality fruit. Compact spacing and short rows, are all planted within walking distance of the winemaker’s house. This allows for the utmost attention to detail, resulting in the highest quality of farming, cultivation, grape growing and wine making practices, building on the heritage of Piedra Creek.
The Edna Valley AVA is located approximately half way between San Francisco and Los Angeles within San Luis Obispo County along the Pacific Coast. Its unique geography runs west to east which allows cool ocean breezes to funnel in to the valley from the north. Crisp mornings give way to long sunny afternoons making for a mild climate that is ideal for grape growing, and boasts one of the longest growing seasons in California. The soil too has a heavy maritime influence, consisting of chalk, loam, clay and dark humus, with sub-soil comprised of calcareous marine deposits left behind millions of years ago when the valley floor was under water.
San Floriano Vineyard is located in one of the coolest sections of the Edna Valley AVA, allowing the fruit to mature over an even longer growing season, enabling the development of thick skinned fruit and subsequently complex flavors and structure, perfect for winemaking. This boutique vineyard of only 2.5 acres boasts seven clones of grapes from three different varietals, carefully selected based on soil, climate, and terroir.
Three clones of Pinot Noir, two clones of Chardonnay, and two clones of Lagrein comprise the San Floriano vineyard. The vines are cared for and pruned to produce the highest quality fruit possible, and because the vineyard surrounds the winemaker’s home, tending to each plant has become an obsession, from bud break to vinification.
Practicing the belief that 90% of the wine is made in the field, and living within the same environment in which we grow our fruit, state of the art, sustainable, environmentally-conscious farming practices are employed at all costs.