TASTING NOTES Dense ruby in color, the 2015 Stanly Ranch Pinot Noir shows aromas of crushed black cherry, cloves and vanilla with cola undertones. The palate is full-bodied showing bright, bold juicy red cherry and raspberry jam fruit. On the mid-palate are nuanced flavors of cranberries, cocoa powder and vanilla that carry through to a long finish.

VINEYARD Pinot Noir was first planted at Stanly Ranch in the 1940s, when a clonal trial proved the ranch’s well-drained day-loam soils and rolling hills ideal for growing the finicky varietal. The vineyard has been significantly refined over the years, and Stanly Ranch is now one of the most sought-after vineyards for Pinot Noir in California.

WINEMAKING We carefully chose the blocks for micro-lot fermentations to isolate the individual flavors and aromas. The majority of this wine was fermented in 500 liter French oak puncheons and punched down by hand. A portion was fermented in stainless steel tanks. The wine was aged in French oak, a portion of which was the same puncheons the wine was fermented in that very year. The wine was never racked or filtered, and rested ‘sur lie’ for the entire aging period.

CLIMATE The Los Carneros AVA straddles the southern parts of Napa and Sonoma Counties. It is the coolest wine region in Napa, with fog rolling in from San Pablo Bay at night, then peeling back later in the morning to expose the grapes to the sun. Stanly Ranch is on the Napa side of Los Carneros and has many microclimates throughout its rolling hills, resulting in substantial terroir differences in each block of the vineyard. The bay has a significant influence; the lower areas are the first to be covered with fog and the last to emerge, while the hills remain in the sun the longest.