1999 Robert Mondavi Winery Carneros District Pinot Noir Region/Origin: Carneros District Residual Sugar: Dry (0.06%) Total Acid: 0.57% Alcohol: 13.9% by volume Final pH: 3.64 Blend: 100% Pinot Noir Winemaker's Notes: Silky layers of black raspberry and cherry, violet and aromatic spices in our 1999 Carneros District Pinot Noir reflect the vivid fruit expression of Pinot Noir grapes grown in this celebrated district. The Pacific winds and fog, combined with distinctive clay loam soils, provide ideal terroir for Pinot Noir vines. This wine has brightness on the palate, high energy and focus. The silky texture and supple tannins are the signature of 1999’s long growing season. Wild yeast fermentation in small oak vats and aging in toasted Burgundian barrels enhanced the complex nuances that weave through the vibrant flavors and lingering finish. Vintage: The La Niña weather pattern of 1999 provided Napa Valley with a long growing season that produced remarkably high quality wines with fully developed varietal character. The highly extracted flavors, with vibrant acidity in the whites and fully mature tannins in the reds, are the signature of this vintage. Compared to the El Niño phenomenon in 1998, marked by dramatic changes in weather, this year had a milder growing season with average rainfall. Because of the cool temperatures, budbreak and bloom were later than average. Rainy weather during bloom caused decreased berry set and smaller yields in many varieties. Harvest began slowly in mid-September, then a low humidity, windy heat spell at the end of the month caused sugars to soar and we scrambled to get the grapes in at their peak maturity. “All the grape varieties were ripening at once, we picked 45% of the fruit between Sept. 27 and Oct. 6,” said Genevieve Janssens, RMW Director of Winemaking. “We were so exhausted, yet there was a feeling of great camaraderie. The quality of the wines is outstanding.” Perfect ripening weather wrapped up the harvest on November 4. Vineyard: We hand-selected all of the grapes from the Carneros District, with over half of the grapes grown in our Huichica Hills Vineyard. Many believe that Pinot Noir vines need to struggle to produce their greatest wines. The Carneros region provides the requisite difficult conditions, with its strong winds, shallow soils and a nightly blanket of cold fog rolling off the San Francisco Bay. Spanning the southernmost tip of Napa and Sonoma Valleys, the Carneros District has become famous for developing intensely flavored Pinot Noir grapes that produce wines of bright, yet sumptuous, fruit character. By matching the vineyard sites with specific clones, vine density and vertical trellising, we have achieved a Pinot Noir wine that truly honors the soils and climate of this unique region. We harvested these grapes at an average sugar of 24.5 Brix with 0.71% acid and 3.35 pH. Fermentation & Aging: To capture the vivid fruit flavors and beautiful balance, we hand-harvested the Pinot Noir grapes in the cool morning hours. We fermented the grapes on-site in our Carneros vineyard, using gravity-fed, open-top, oak fermenters that are typical of the finest Burgundian producers. These small fermenters allow us to gently punch down the cap of skins (pigeage) two to four times a day for optimum flavor extraction. Fermentation with wild yeast occurring naturally on the grape skins added layers of complexity and heightened vineyard expression. After extended skin contact to naturally soften tannins, we transferred the wine to toasted Burgundian oak barrels for a long, native malolactic fermentation and barrel aging. Extremely gentle handling through all phases of winemaking enabled us to bottle this wine without filtration. Type of barrel: 60 gallon French oak; length of aging: 10½ months. |
|
Copyright 2007 Internet
Wines & Spirits. All rights reserved.
|