The 2016 Flanagan Pinot Noir Sun Chase Vineyard displays the characteristic red fruit profile of the site. The nose is dominated by pomegranate, Bing cherry, and red raspberry and those notes continue of the palate. The wine is very pretty, nicely focused, and finishes with good acidity. This is a wine that is easy to enjoy with or without food.
Vineyard Notes
In 2016 brought a second year of relatively poor fruit set and, as a consequence, low crop yields. Yields were below average but meaningfully higher than the disastrously low harvest in the 2015 vintage. 2016 was also a cooler growing year than 2015 so the wines in 2016 display a touch less richness and are, in general, more focused. The cooler growing season in 2016 meant grapes tended to ripen at lower Brix levels and lower pHs than they did in 2015.
Production Notes
Our Pinot Noir fermentations typically include a 3-4 day cold soak followed by fermentations that last between 10 and 15 days. We don’t have a rule based approach to including whole clusters but most
ferments include 10-20% whole clusters. With Sun Chase we typically use a higher percentage of whole cluster to provide some structure to balance the very pretty fruit character from the site.