2009 Pinot Noir Goldridge

Tom Dehlinger told me that he thinks that dry-farming is important if you're making wines to age. "It seems that too much irrigation, or rainfall for that matter, hurts the integrity of the fruit tannins and the wines' structure is compromised," he explained. That said, he admitted that 2009 was a year when irrigation would have come in handy. Yields for his pinot came in at under two tons per acre, he told me, "which explains their intensity and depth."

Tom Dehlinger told me that he thinks that dry-farming is important if you're making wines to age. "It seems that too much irrigation, or rainfall for that matter, hurts the integrity of the fruit tannins and the wines' structure is compromised," he explained. That said, he admitted that 2009 was a year when irrigation would have come in handy. Yields for his pinot came in at under two tons per acre, he told me, "which explains their intensity and depth."

I tasted a large number of wines with Tom and Eva Dehlinger, including several older wines, all of which have held up beautifully. These remain some of the most fairly priced wines in California. Tom Dehlinger describes 2009 as a very cool Pinot vintage. Dehlinger reports that yields in 2009 are down approximately 40% because of cold weather before and during bloom. The Pinot ripened evenly, and the harvest started on September 4th as opposed to late August, which is more typical in these sites, once know for their similarly early-maturing apples. In 2009 Dehlinger bottled High Plains Pinot separately rather than blending it into the Altamont, which is frequently the case, as it is again in 2010. Rains during the harvest were trickier for the later-ripening Syrah, which wasn't picked until October 20th. Elegance and freshness are the hallmarks of the 2009 Syrahs, which stand in stark contrast to the riper, more concentrated 2008s. Vintage 2010 is another story completely. The Pinot harvest was even later than in 2009, and didn't get started until September 22nd. In 2009 Dehlinger has several new wines, including a Zinfandel. Dehlinger made Zinfandel from 1975 to 1983. When the opportunity arose to purchase high quality Zinfandel and Petit Sirah, Dehlinger decided it was time to take the plunge.