| Vintage: | 2007 |
| Wine Type: | Red Wine |
| Varietal: | Pinot Noir |
| Appellation: | Finger Lakes |
| Harvest Date: | Sept 29, Oct 1 & Oct 3 |
| Acid: | 6.0 g/L |
| PH: | 3.68 |
| Bottling Date: | August 14, 2008 |
| Residual Sugar: | 0.3% |
| Alcohol %: | 12.7% |
Tasting Notes:
A medium bodied Pinot Noir with a subdued ruby hue. Aromas of strawberries, cherries, light spice with a backdrop of older oak give way to a well integrated experience of red cherry and light to sweet oak with a fresh finish. Ready to Drink Now.
Vineyard Notes:
Sun and solar radiation are the hallmarks of the 2007 vintage – lots of both – reminiscent of 1998 and 2001 and perhaps 1999. As in 2001 in the Finger Lakes, some got the rain and some didn’t. We at Sheldrake Point Vineyard were fortunate. With a little help from irrigation in young blocks and a helping hand from Mother Nature we had almost all of what we needed. Canopies were full and healthy with little disease pressure until late in the season. Vines were so bountiful that we dropped fruit a couple of times to ensure balanced vines capable of fully ripening the fruit.
Overall sugar accumulation was slow and steady. Most varieties fell into the range of 21° to 22.5° Brix.
The educational aspect of the vintage involves lower sugars (with so much sun?), good flavors & lower acids. Yields were generous – we had the moisture needed.
Production Notes:
Over 12 tons of Pinot Noir was harvested over three days: September 29, October 1 and October 3rd, 2008. The harvest chemistry was 22.2-22.4 Brix, 3.42-3.45 pH based on which of the two lots of Pinot Noir harvested.
All lots were racked to mainly older neutral oak, with 2 new French oak and 2 3rd-use French oak barrels of the 29 total barrels
The wine was racked from barrels on July 8, 2008, after 9 months of barrel aging. A selection of 6.5 barrels of the 28 remaining barrels was made for a Reserve wine. The barrels for the Reserve lot included 2.5 older French barrels, 2 third use French barrels, and 1 neutral oak barrel. The wine was filtered through on July 14 and 15 2008 but was not filtered at bottling on August 14.
Food Pairing:
Pinot Noir is the great equalizer at the table (or the picnic blanket) as it pairs well with a broad range of foods such as fowl, lamb, salmon, tuna and swordfish. The light oak notes in this 2007 Barrel Reserve Pinot Noir will play off smoked, grilled and lightly peppered preparations especially well. Mushrooms and Pinot Noir are a classic combination and no less so with this 2007 example. Other vegetables that are earthy in flavor are a great match including cooked green, squashes, lentils, onion, garlic, and the ultimate condiment, Dijon mustard. The best cheeses to serve are mild and creamy: Teleme, Taleggio and Brie, for example.
Although quite flexible in flavor pairing, Pinot Noir is easily over powered by extreme levels of spicy heat in a dish or in very rich foods such creamy,
buttery or mayonnaise based sauces or recipes.
Also avoid strong flavored seafood and fish such as
mussels, sea bass, anchovies, sardines and mackerel.
Production:
164 cases produced
