1998 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

Twenty-nine-year-old Alex Davis studied enology at Fresno State, then went to France "to unlearn everything," taking enology classes in Dijon and putting in stints at Guigal, Bernard Michelot and Roumier. He returned home in time to begin making wine from the family estate in 1997. Davis does a three-or-four-day cold soak for his pinot noir and a fairly long fermentation using only indigenous yeasts, then presses a day after the fermentation has ended. There are 18 acres under vine on this 34-acre property, all pinot noir and chardonnay. The original planting dates back to 1975, though there has been substantial vine-by-vine replanting in recent years due to Pierce Disease. The Creekside Vineyard is the largest and flattest, producing more fruit than the Hillside "but still a pathetic yield by most peoples' standards in this area," according to Davis. The very steep Hillside plot, which flowers and ripens much earlier, does not automatically produce the better wine, notes Davis—as witness the '97s. The Porter Creek chardonnay comes from a steep, west-facing vineyard that rarely sets more than three tons per acre of fruit. Davis picks on the early side to retain healthy acidity levels, so alcoholic degrees here are typically in the moderate 13% range. He ages his wines in a relatively low 30% new oak. These are less obviously sweet wines than most from their neighborhood, with less make-up, but appear to have the structure to age well.