The 2016 Flanagan Pinot Noir Platt Vineyard is a compelling expression of what is widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest sites in California. The wine has a brilliant color and the fruit character, despite the very cool site, is explosive. The nose offers a rich bouquet of ripe cranberry, cola, and a hint of spice. The palate shows very clean dark red fruit with a silky, persistent finish. Incredible acidity, a beautiful mouthfeel, and an incredible purity of fruit character make this a reference point wine.
Production Notes
The 2016 Vintage at Platt brought another relatively small crop, but not as tiny as the 2015 harvest. Platt 2016 yields were 54 tons for the 31.3 acres of vines. The 2016 crop year the first full year of us managing the farming at Platt and we initiated several viticultural changes that produced healthier vines and cleaner, better fruit.
Platt sits 2.5-miles from the Pacific Coast and the vineyards cascade down a south facing ridgeline. The Goldridge fine sandy loam soils are the most sought after for Pinot Noir and afford excellent drainage. The wind blows reliably out of the west and provides good airflow which helps keep the grapes clean. The vineyard elevation ranges from 425 to 850 feet above sea level and is frequently (but not always) above the fog that fills the valley most every morning.
In 2016 we used 20% whole clusters in the Platt Pinot ferments, which, like most of our Pinot ferments, were relatively short at 10 days. The wine was aged in Atelier Centre French oak barrels for 14 months with about 50% new barrels.