2003 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

Purchase 2003 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

PHILOSOPHY
Our Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is always a fruit forward wine where we strive to create a distinctive, benchmark expression of our famous appellation. The goal each year is to present an elegant, pure and fragrant expression of the variety that is enjoyable upon release but will reward medium-term aging. While lots from our 42-acre Quail Hill Vineyard home estate form the core of this bottling, we also work closely with a select few neighbors who share our commitment to quality.

2003 GROWING SEASON
The 2003 growing season provided many challenges to growers and winemakers in the Russian River Valley. Overall summer weather was exceptionally cool, yet the vines endured several late-season heat spikes where experience and diligence were crucial. Rigorous thinning in the vineyard via multiple passes, careful water management, and surgical picking of our estate blocks (up to 4 picks per block) yielded a wine that truly showcases the best of this vintage.

THE WINEMAKING
Winemaking for the Russian River Valley Pinot Noir lots is focused on capturing fruit and moderating extraction so as to yield components of great perfume, yet elegant structure. All fruit was hand-harvested early in the morning and immediately transported to the winery while still cool, then hand-sorted before being gently de-stemmed and transferred without pumping into small (2.5 and 4 ton) traditional open-top fermenters. This de-stemmed fruit was then cold-soaked for three to five days at 50°F before allowing fermentation to begin. 2003 marked the first vintage that Lynmar began native fermentations on lots that allowed it. Each fermentation was gently punched down by hand two to four times per day. Total skin contact time ranged from 12-18 days depending upon extraction and the objective for each lot. The new wines were immediately put into barrels where the secondary, malolactic fermentation occurred over the next several months. The barrel coopers for this vintage were Latour, Mercurey, Francois Freres, Cadus, Remond and Rousseau. Racking was minimal—always with inert gas, never pumped—with aging on light lees until the blend was assembled. The primary lots for this blend came from our Quail Hill Vineyard Dijon and Pommard clone blocks (P5, P6), with some Swan selection from Hanna block. Outside fruit was sourced from mature vine Pommard clone blocks at McIlroy Vineyard, a bit north of the winery. The wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered.

TASTING NOTES
The light garnet hue is a first indication that this is not a big, over-the-top California Pinot Noir. The aromas really jump out of the glass—blackberries, cola, just-ripe plums and rose hips are framed by earthy notes of green tea, gunpowder and grilled asparagus. On the palate, pretty perfumed notes of sarsaparilla, strawberry jam, cardamom and lavender are really pushed out in front by the wine’s bright acidity, medium body and slightly earthy summer truffle low notes. The purity of perfume and fruit notes carries through the lingering finish, with a subtle toastiness in the background. This wine is meant to be accessible upon release, and should continue to improve through at least 2008.

Purchase 2003 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir