- Wines
2017 Will's Cabin Vineyard Pinot Noir
From our Gist Ranch Estate, this bottling showcases mountain Pinot Noir with aromatic red fruit and a wild forest spice character.
Vineyard
Will’s Cabin Vineyard is less than half a mile from the Gist Ranch Estate. The vineyard sits on fine, sandy soil known as vaqueros sandstone. It is also north facing and 200 feet higher, making it much cooler than Gist Ranch. Here we have planted swan and Mount Eden clones. Uniquely, we’ve also incorporated Mariafeld, a clone originating in Switzerland, which tends to add more tannin and a deeper color to the wine. This clone is used to create a pinot noir named after the vineyard as well as our Rosalee rosé of pinot noir.
Winemaker Notes
Record setting rain replenished our dry soils after 4 continuous years of drought. Yet, it was also another year of record setting heat with an exceptionally torrid Labor Day weekend. Spring was mild, allowing us to pick the best crop we’ve seen since 2012. This was a vintage of good yields and great quality.
Technical Data
Vintage
2017
Varietal
Pinot Noir
Appellation
Santa Cruz Mountains
Vineyard Designation
Will's Cabin Vineyard
Acid
5.6
pH
3.57
Alcohol %
13.1
Other Notes
Leather, dried strawberry and peppercorn lead into a nose loaded with chaparral spice of light thyme and sage on this vineyard designate. It's a bit shy on the palate at first, and then light cranberry and raspberry flavors emerge against the crushed stone and light red-flower flavors. — 93 points. Matt Kettmann, Wine Enthusiast