Sonoma Cutrer Russian River Valley Woodford Reserve Barrel Finish 2018 Pinot Noir 750mL

Grapes are picked by hand early each morning into small bins and hand-sorted before a gentle de-stemming. During the four-day cold soak and the eight- to twelve-day fermentation, the wine is punched down by hand in small, open-top fermenters. On completion of fermentation the wine is gently basket pressed and gravity racked into the barrels. We aged this Pinot Noir in a regimen of one-third each of new, one-year and two-year old French oak. After maturing for 11 months, the final blend was assembled and then it gets a little crazy! We further aged this blend another four months in freshly emptied Woodford Reserve® Bourbon barrels, one of Kentucky’s premier bourbon distillers. A bold move, but wow – what a result.

This wine has a beautiful, rich ruby-purple hue.  As a classic Russian River Pinot Noir, the wine expresses aromas and flavors of lush red and black berry fruit. As you swirl the wine in your glass, you will open up scents of vanilla, baking spices, brown sugar & maple from the Woodford barrels mingling with licorice, dark chocolate, black tea with just a hint of earth.  On the palate, you will find the wine to be wonderfully rich and juicy with soft tannins that add to its intensity. Sumptuous black cherry flavors mingle with the balanced acidity to make this deliciously enjoyable and an incredibly unique expression of Pinot Noir.