2000 Pinot Noir Garys Vineyard

Adam Lee describes 2000 as a very good vintage for early-ripening varieties like pinot noir, but maintains that syrah and cabernet were not as strong as the previous year due to rainy spells during early and mid-October. (Lee also makes numerous reds for Novy Cellars, the label of wife Dianna's family; see notes later in this issue.) Lee picks late for thorough phenolic ripeness, with the result that a number of his 2000 pinots carry alcohol as high as 15%. "Heat spikes in early September, especially in the Russian River Valley, drove sugars higher without a corresponding ripening of the flavors, so we had no choice but to wait," he explained. "And of course the pinot fruit in Santa Lucia Highlands needs to really hang to develop completely ripe flavors, so the alcohols will always be elevated." Lee ages his pinots in 50% to 65% new oak, mostly barrels from Francois Freres. The 2000s were all bottled before the 2001 harvest.