2023 High Elevation Pinot Noir

100% Pinot Noir (74% Alder Springs Vineyard | 26% Mariah Vineyard)

High-elevation vineyards captivate us because their relatively warmer nighttime temperatures and minimal diurnal shifts allow the grapes to ripen evenly, resulting in Pinot Noir with remarkable balance. This environment lets us harvest earlier, preserving the wine's natural freshness and creating a style marked by restraint. The 2023 vintage was particularly challenging, with a damp spring causing a delayed start and significant mildew pressure that drastically reduced yields. We harvested Mariah Vineyard early, while Alder Springs displayed ripeness levels more varied than we typically prefer. However, when blended, these wines revealed exceptional harmony, inspiring the creation of our High Elevation Pinot Noir blend.

Mariah Vineyards, family-owned by Dan and Vicki Dooling, is the first Savory Institute Global Land to Market Verified regenerative vineyard. Located at 2,400 feet near Point Arena, it features black loam soils. Originally planted with Syrah, Zinfandel, and Merlot in 1980, it now grows Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay.

Alder Springs Vineyard in northern Mendocino County was founded by Stuart Bewley in 1993. After studying soils across California, he chose this former cattle ranch for its ideal conditions: bright sun, cool nights, and low-vigor soils. Spanning 140 acres across gravelly loam and decomposed sandstone at 1,700–2,700 feet elevation, the vineyard benefits from Pacific Ocean breezes but faces wildfire risks. Stuart's environmental commitment includes a timber project for carbon sequestration. The Pinot Noir included in this blend was sourced from Swan Selection on Spirit Rock and clone 943 from the Emerald Pool sub-vineyard, both organically farmed.

This wine presents a ruby hue with medium-light intensity. On the nose, it offers delicate aromas of red plum, savory spices, damp earth, and anise—faithfully reflecting its vineyard origins. The palate is layered with pine and bay laurel, alongside notes of plum skin and tangerine. Its dense, mineral-driven structure unfolds into flavors of dark plum, forest floor, and vibrant berries like marionberry and loganberry. Fine tannins provide a long, savory finish, which is what we love most about this wine. Like all of our Pinot Noirs, it will benefit from several years of cellaring. For a perfect pairing, enjoy this wine with Nordic dishes such as smørrebrød topped with smoked fish.

The grapes were picked at night and brought to the winery in the early morning. Since this is mountain fruit, we are always aware of the wonky chemistry. Mountain fruit tends to have a high pH and high acidity which may lead to a salty tasting wine. Many winemakers will add lots of acid to pinot noir when it hits the tank in this situation but we don’t. Our strategy is to let the fermentation drop out all of the extra potassium naturally. This strategy is successful for us and leads to a wine with pretty normal chemisty and no saltiness!

Production: 275 cases | ABV: 12.32% | TA: 5.72 g/L | pH: 3.58 | VA: 0.68 g/L | DCO2: 770 ppm | Total SO2: 68 ppm | RS: 0.6 g/L | Turbidity at bottling: 12 NTU

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