- Wines
2016 Rapley Trail Vineyard Pinot Noir
The Rapley Trail Vineyard has a unique aromatic incense of North-African spice and forest floor. The '16 vintage is red fruited with great texture, harmony and richness. We couldn't be happier with the balance this vintage possesses. It will likely need a year or two to reach it's apogee, but should provide many years of deliciousness.
Vineyard
The Rapley Trail Vineyard (avg. elev. 1650 ft.) was planted in 1981, consisting of six contiguous acres of Pinot Noir vines on our Estate’s rugged southeastern slopes. It has long been the backbone of our past
"Estate Reserve" Pinot Noir, but beginning in 2002 we have begun to bottle portions of the vineyard separately. This "deconstruction" displays the unique aspects and interactions of soil and climate that
accounts for grapes whose flavor is a direct product of where they are grown; this is terroir. The Rapley Trail Vineyard bottling is comprised of the various lots harvested from the vineyard, which in some years can be picked in as many as 7 passes.
Production Notes
The 2016 Vintage was another drought year, with early bud-break, bloom and veraison. Poor weather during the early bloom caused shatter and millerandage. Vine stress became an issue late in the year with many of our dry farmed vines showing water and nutrient stress for the first time. The resulting wines are bright and energetic with mid-weight personalities. They are profoundly aromatic and balanced wines that are site expressive and pure.
Technical Data
Vintage
2016
Varietal
Pinot Noir
Appellation
Santa Cruz Mountains
Acid
6.3
pH
3.62
Alcohol %
12.5
Wine Enthusiast
93
Wine Advocate
93
Other Notes
From a site that was incredibly stressed in the vintage, which resulted in miniscule yields, the 2016 Pinot Noir Rapley Trail Vineyard offers a terrific sense of minerality as well as ample mulberry and cherry fruits, subtle rose petal and floral nuances, medium body, and thrilling elegance and finesse. It’s vibrant, tight, and compact, yet has a great finish, all pointing to it needing short term cellaring. I’d hide bottles for 3-4 years and it should keep beautifully for 15+ in good cellars. It’s a class act.
Food Pairing Notes
96 points, Jeb Dunnuck