2019 Wayfarer Pinot Noir
The Estate

Violet, lavender and boysenberry aromas emerge from the glass, along with cherry, plum, dried herbs and fennel seed.  A silky entry, lush body and creamy notes on the finish are juxtaposed by lively acidity, bringing a beautiful tension to the wine.  This is a wonderfully complete Pinot Noir, a combination of focus and finesse, and it has a subtle power that will carry this vintage for many years.

We hand-picked each block and delivered firm, cool clusters to the winery before sunrise. We then hand-sorted the fruit and reserved 4% for whole-cluster fermentation.  The remainder of the fruit was destemmed before transferring to tank, where five to seven days of cold maceration preceded more than two weeks of 100% native yeast fermentation. The free run wine was transferred to 53% new French oak for 15 months of aging.

2019 began with several months of heavy rainfall.  Total rainfall for the year was 78 inches, second only to record-setting rainfall in 2017.  However, that is where similarities end between the 2017 and 2019 vintages.  Pinot Noir shoots emerged on April 1st, ten days later than normal. With a warm April, shoot growth advanced quickly, and energy was plentiful in the soil after heavy rainfall in May.

Flowering began in east-facing blocks on June 2nd, quickly followed by the remainder of the Pinot Noir over the next seven days. Flowering was also ten days later than normal, but aligned wonderfully with a change in the weather, as rain clouds gave way to beautiful sunshine in June.  The summer of 2019 was full of sunshine, yet temperatures were moderate to cool.  The average high temperature through July and August was 81^oF, perfect for gradually ripening the Pinot Noir.

In 2019 we were able to be patient with the vines, allowing them to naturally adjust to the energy in the soil. In drier and warmer vintages, we are more proactive with mowing cover crop, leaf and lateral removal, and irrigating the driest blocks.  However, in 2019 we waited until the vines reached their optimal point, then moved in with our canopy work to transition the vines from vegetative growth to fruit maturation.  By the time veraison began on August 5th, the vines were tracking only five days later than normal. 42 days later, we picked our first Pinot Noir on September 16th, and concluded harvest on October 5th.