2020 McIntyre Winemaker Series Pinot Noir - Don Van Staaveran

“The idea for the Winemaker Series was born out of impatience and age-related urgency! If I’m lucky I’ll get to participate in another 20 with a diverse set of winemakers and viticulturists provides exciting opportunities to experiment and accelerate our pace of discovery. Each Winemaker brings their own style and experience, just as a great chef or a musician, to the process of producing a life enhancing experience best shared with others” – Steve McIntyre

Vineyard

This Pinot Noir owes much of its success to superior terroir and diligent, regenerative farming. It combines a filed blend of equal parts Swan and Calera selections with Dijon clone 115. The crop was thinned to a maximum of three tons per acre or 1.5 lbs. of fruit per foot of cordon. Row orientation is primarily north/south, which provides even sun exposure from morning to afternoon. The McIntyre Estate Vineyard lies in the “sweet spot” of this rolling, benchland region. It produces incredibly intense and complex Pinot Noirs and well-structured, concentrated Chardonnays. It was among the first properties in the Santa Lucia Highlands to be SIP (Sustainability In Practice) Certified.

Winemaking

Don did not plan on becoming a winemaker but previous duties as a cellarman to winemaker serendipitously exposed his passion for the job. This Pinot Noir expresses his craft using 20% whole cluster juice, balance destemmed, and placed in an open-top fermenter. Initial punch-downs at four times daily then decreased before pressing in a basket press directly into 50% French Oak and 50% new barrels. Stirring daily for malolactic fermentation to occur and aged for 16 months complete with monthly stirring.