2020 McIntyre Winemaker Series Pinot Noir - Sabrine Rodems

“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 providing 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 is complied completely with the Dijon clone 777. 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 east/west, which provides partial 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

Sabrine is a chicken mom extraordinaire, master backyard gardener, do-it-yourself designer, and an accomplished winemaker. This Pinot Noir expresses her craft using 30% whole cluster juice in a cold soak for three days, then inoculated with RC212 yeast. Initial punch-downs at twice times daily then decreased before pressing in a basket press directly into a 1-2 year French Oak barrel including 30% stems to add body. Stirring daily for malolactic fermentation to occur and aged for 10 months complete with monthly stirring.