Gruner Veltliner has so much to give. The varietal character is intense and highly unique suiting itself perfectly to hands-off winemaking methods. There is a range of fruit maturity with which this grape can be harvested to lend itself to different styles. The resulting wines can vary from lean and herbal, to highly textured and exotic smelling depending on the vineyards ability to ripen the fruit. Our site produces fruit that wants to be rich and exotic producing significant texture for its meager alcohol levels. We prefer this style for our own taste and encourage it by aging the wine in oak casks for 10 months with full solids.
This Pinot Noir is made entirely from our own Biodynamic certified, estate-grown fruit at Johan Vineyards. The grapes were handpicked and fermented in small batches using only native yeast- for both primary and malolactic fermentation. During primary fermentation, our cap management is gentle, just enough to wet the cap and distribute even temperatures throughout the tank. Once each lot was fermented dry, it was pressed off the skins and barreled down into neutral French Oak barrels, where it aged for 7 months. All Pinot Noir is created equal in our cellar until our tasting and blending trials begin in early Spring. At this time, we select the barrels that we feel are the most approachable earlier, with the focus of making a wine that this vibrant and juicy, with a nice tannin structure and balance.