2007 PINOT NOIR
HALLBERG VINEYARD
CROSSROADS
Hallberg Vineyard is ideally situated in the Green Valley sub-appellation of the Russian River Valley just north of Sebastopol. This area is highly desirable for Pinot Noir cultivation due to its cool, breezy climate and prized Goldridge sandy-loam soils. Many of the region's most respected and decorated vineyards reside in this area. This vineyard was developed 10 years ago by Kirk Lokka; one of Sonoma County's most dedicated and highly skilled viticulturists. His commitment has always been clear... to grow the highest quality fruit possible at any cost. While his fruit is some of the most costly in the region, it is always among the best. This is yet another very important and cherished relationship for the Alysian brand.
VINTAGE SUMMARY
2007 provided Russian River Valley winemakers with an extremely small crop of tiny clusters and berries, perfectly ripened by an especially cool and dry growing season. Though production was significantly limited by crop size, the wines express amazing flavor intensity and impeccable balance. We feel the vintage will yield some of the finest examples of Pinot Noir ever produced from this region.
WINEMAKER NOTES
Deep, succulent blackberry-blueberry aromas lead to rich and expansive dark-fruit flavors, which are framed by lavish oak and mediumfirm tannins. Though this wine never strays from its varietal identity, it displays a bit more extract and substance than is typical of our style. This is certainly not a negative, as all that flamboyance is kept in check beautifully by modest alcohol, low pH and generous acidity. This would be an ideal companion to lamb or spicy meat dishes.
Gary Farrell, winemaker
CELLAR NOTES
VINEYARDS AND CLONES
Hallberg Vineyard - Blocks M and F
Dijon clones 777 and 828
HARVEST INFORMATION
Harvest dates: 9/1 and 9/4
Hand harvested at night under lights
Hand sorted in vineyard
Average brix: 23.9 degrees
GRAPE PROCESSING
Cold fruit processed early AM
Hand sorted prior to stem removal
Hard sorted after stem removal
FERMENTATION
Tanks: Small open tops
Cold soak: 5 days
Yeast: Wild and cultured
Mixing: 3 punch-downs daily
Duration: 10 days
BARREL PROGRAM
100% French oak
Francois Freres, Rousseau
45% new
ML fermentation in barrel
14 months in barrel
FINISHED WINE
14.2% alcohol by volume
Titratable acidity: 7.0 gm/L
pH: 3.41
Bottling date: November 14, 2008
Production: 230 cases (9 liter equivalent)
