2017 Pinot Noir SWK Vineyard

This is another set of magnificent wines from Occidental. Steve Kistler told me the summer of 2017 was quite cool, so much so that he was anticipating a late harvest. Things accelerated as temperatures started to rise quickly. The Labor Day heat spikes resulted in a condensed harvest over just four nights, as opposed to the more typical 6-7, which was done with the goal of preserving as much freshness as possible, a major challenge when fruit was coming in much warmer than normal. In the cellar, the wines were made pretty much as they always are. The 2017s saw about 18 days on the skins, with native primary and secondary fermentation. The vineyard designates spent 12 months in barrel, with no racking, followed by 3-4 months in tank prior to bottling.