Sebastiani Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2007

Medium to deep garnet.
Aroma: Bright ripe cherry and berry notes, supported by ample mocha, oak and sweet baking spices.

Vineyard Notes:
Just over half of our seventh vintage of the Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is sourced from our estate vineyards and the Sangiacomo Ranch in Carneros, with smaller portions from vineyards throughout the Russian River, Alexander and Sonoma Valleys. The Sonoma Coast appellation is the largest and coolest part of Sonoma County and perfectly suited for Pinot Noir, producing fruit with spectacular color and flavor development due to the lingering, morning fog and cool ocean breezes.

Production Notes:
The 2008 vintage started off early due to another dry, warm winter. However, there was a damaging frost in late April—the worst since 1970!—and our yields were dramatically decreased. August and early September, the most critical weather stage for Pinot Noir, was very warm with little fog, creating deeply colored fruit and ripe tannins. We harvested the grapes starting the first week of September and finished the first week of October.

Winemaker Notes:
Harvested in small lots and destemmed, we cold soaked the whole Pinot Noir berries an average of three days before inoculation. During fermentation, the wine was pumped over its skins two to three times a day. At the end of fermentation, the must was cooled down to allow for additional flavor and aroma extraction. The grapes were pressed and racked into French and Hungarian oak barrels for seven months of aging before bottling. ~Mark Lyon, Winemaker