Pair a superior Pinot Noir vineyard with a stellar vintage and what do you get? The exceptional Gainey Vineyard 2007 Limited Selection Pinot Noir. With 100% of the fruit coming from the cool-climate Santa Rita Hills - including 70% from our Evan's Ranch - this was a great Pinot Noir waiting to happen. The nose grabs you immediately with its fresh, intensely concentrated strawberry, raspberry, black cherry, blackberry and plum fruit aromas, which are ably abetted by seductive sandalwood, rose hips tea, and brown spice tones.
On the thickly textured palate, the wine brims with delicious, lip-smacking flavors of strawberry and raspberry jam, black cherry compote and blackberry preserve, augmented by delightful cinnamon and tea leaf spice tones. Its amazingly deep, compact fruit flavors persist through an incredibly long finish accented by savory, toasted oak tones, with round, supple tannins and bright underlying acidity providing the structure and vitality for long-term aging. While it's hard to resist this spectacular Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir now with herb-roasted chicken, Cornish gane hens, spicy lamb kabobs and mushroom risotto, it will be even more delectable with another 3-5 years of bottle age.
June 2008