theCompass
 Home   Map   Blog Roll   WineCompass   Wine 101   My Compass 

Pinot Noir Paragon Vineyard

Pinot Noir Paragon Vineyard Wine Details
Price: $20.00 per bottle

Description: Edna Valley Vineyard Pinot Noir is a labor of love. We began by cold soaking the handpicked fruit for three days at about 55°F. The wine fermented in open-topped tanks until dryness. The cap was irrigated at intervals with a gentle pump over. Malolactic fermentation occurred in barrel, and we did the absolute least handling needed to bring the wine to bottle readiness, including minimal filtration. Only French oak barrels were used during the 10 months of maturation. The 2003 Edna Valley Vineyard Pinot Noir shows rich black cherry and strawberry fruit, backed by caramel and vanilla notes, a full, viscous palate, soft tannins and a lingering, smoky finish.

Varietal Definition
Pinot Noir:
The name is derived from the French words for ‘pine’ and ‘black’ alluding to the varietals' tightly clustered dark purple pine cone shaped bunches of fruit. Pinot Noir grapes are grown around the world, mostly in the cooler regions, but the grape is chiefly associated with the Burgundy region of France. It is widely considered to produce some of the finest wines in the world, but is a difficult variety to cultivate and transform into wine. By volume most Pinot Noir in America is grown in California with Oregon coming in second. Other regions are Washington State and New York.During 2004 and the beginning of 2005, Pinot Noir became considerably more popular amongst consumers in the United States, possibly because of the movie Sideways. Being lighter in style, it has benefited from a trend toward more restrained, less alcoholic wines. It is the delicate, subtle, complex and elegant nature of this wine that encourages growers and winemakers to cultivate this difficult grape. Robert Parker has described Pinot Noir: "When it's great, Pinot Noir produces the most complex, hedonistic, and remarkably thrilling red wine in the world."


Reviews




Back to Edna Valley Vineyard information