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Pinot from Gerhard’s vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains at 1700ft elevation. This was one of the first picks of the 2024 vintage. As we were picking, I noticed that though we were at potential alcohol levels which would normally dictate a commencement to harvest here, the flavor development seemed to be a bit behind where I wanted it to be, and the acidity was still quite high, so we called the pick off after just a few hours to let the grapes continue to ripen for another week or so.
What we had already picked was thrown into a tank and sealed up for carbonic maceration for 3.5 weeks.
Lip-smacking acidity with everlasting gobstopper juicyness. I imagine this sliding right into place on holiday tables where one may have been inclined to serve something Beaujolais-adjacent.