Ramspeck Releases

1997 PINOT NOIR To ferment... or not to ferment that is the question!! It seems a simple question! But not a simple answer particularly for those who try to make the quintessential wine from the most notorious of varieties. This is my one and only shot, there are no second chances with Pinot Noir for 1997! How do we create more intense fruit character, deepen color, and concentrate fruit flavor? The decision- an all important extra week. In sum 17 days of cold carbonic maceration. Seventeen days of tense waiting, nail biting agony and yet still the question of today was the same as yesterday, as it will be tomorrow. To ferment or not to ferment? What is the risk?... The risk of rotting fruit! It comes from trying to hold fruit unnaturally in bins for extended periods of time 'natural'- without chemicals. But why you ask would you risk 10 tons of rotting grapes?? It is for all the good things that make up a great Pinot Noir; -color, flavor, length and aroma the great hallmarks of a Burgundy. There is no getting away from the risks in wine-making, but there are times- like right now, when I sip a glass of this '97 Ramspeck Pinot Noir and realize the full reward of the risk taken. Notes and Stats Style: Accadian Vineyard Location: Trubody Lane 44%, Atlas Peak 28%, Carneros 11%, Oak Knoll 10%, Coombsville 7%. Harvested: 4:30 a.m Aug. 21th 1997, 3 ton/acre @48F. Time on Skins: Cold Maceration 17 days, 28 days total. Fermentation Type: 66% Whole berry, 34% whole cluster. Yeast: 50% wild yeast, 50% cultivated Rhone Valley yeast. Extended Maceration: 100% extended maceration. Cooperage: 100% French Oak 1 y.o. Clarification: lightly fined, unfiltered.   Click here for other Ramspeck Releases... Also be sure to learn about...