2014 Wayfarer Pinot Noir

Tasting Notes

This Pinot Noir from Paige’s Ridge, a singular expression of Dijon Clone 667, has deep, vibrant ruby color that bears witness to its intensity. Aromas of cherry, strawberry, and even darker fruits lead into notes of warm vanilla, roasted oak, and savory spices. This wine is both delicate and powerful. Its dense, juicy red fruit palate is accented with the suggestion of cacao, baking spices, carmelized sugar and crème brulee. A firm tannin structure supports the fruit, while balanced acidity lifts the back palate. Enjoy upon release or over the next 5 to 10 years.

Winemaking Notes

In the pre-dawn hours, the fruit was hand-picked and hand-sorted with 20% reserved for whole-cluster fermentation. We de-stemmed and hand-sorted again, before transferring the berries to tank where five to seven days of cold maceration preceded more than two weeks of 100% native yeast fermentation. The fruit was then gently pressed, its free-run juice was transferred to 100% new French oak barrels for 15 months of aging.

Vintage Notes

The 2014 season started as one of the earliest on record, well before the threats of late winter frosts had passed. Fortunately, the tender buds and shoots escaped without damage and we relaxed into an exceptionally nice spring and cool summer. The gentle pace of the growing season gave us time for meticulous canopy management; we farm each of our 30 blocks individually to tailor the shoot positioning and leafing vine by vine, and clone by clone. Such fine-tuned farming is critical to success on the extreme Sonoma Coast, particularly for our vineyard with its great diversity of clones planted at varying elevations and exposures – east facing, west facing, north side, and south side. By the end of the growing season we have typically visited each vine a dozen times.

Our 2014 wines exhibit a pronounced minerality, due in part to our Goldridge soil and sandstone mother rock, as well as cold spells throughout the year. These wines are very open and generous right out of the bottle, with soft tannins, great acidity, and a slightly higher pH than previous vintages

Blocks Map

Clones

Dijon 667

Critics

96 Points

Virginie Boone, Wine Enthusiast, September 2016

Floral in aromas and yet darkly savory in cherry and clove, this full-bodied wine holds layered acidity and balanced oak at its core. It hails from one block of the vineyard and spent time in entirely new French oak. Baked raspberry tart finds a happy companion in the richness of maple and velvety tannin. Drink now through 2024.

94 Points

Doug Wilder, Purely Domestic Wine Report, May, 2016

The nose is bright and inviting redolent of spearmint, blackberry and currant . The palate is supple and fresh on entry - lush, lively and light impressions of balanced cherry, orange and lingering floral notes. Drink 20I6 - 2024.

93 Points

Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate, October 31, 2017

Deep ruby-purple in color, the 2014 Pinot Noir Paige’s Ridge (all 667 clone) has a profoundly scented nose of baked cherries, black raspberries and black pepper with hints of allspice, underbrush and dusty earth. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the mouth with vibrant berry layers, supported by fine-grained tannins and a lively backbone, finishing long and fruity.