Tasting Notes, Reviews & Ratings

Robert Stemmler Nugent Pinot Noir Russian River 2007

ITEM # RSRRPN07

Varietal: 100% Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

Viticulture & Vinification Notes: Grapes were hand-sorted (95% were destemmed) and gravity fed into tanks. Must was cold-soaked and inoculated with a Burgundian yeas. During fermentation must was hand-plunged. Barrel aged for 11 months in 40% new French oak (Burgundian cooperage).

Notes From The Winemaker: With temperatures on the cooler side and soils fully saturated, our controls to limit vigor were minimal. Those tools we had, such as cover crop and heavy canopy management, did help greatly. Flowering was a bit laterthan normal, but cool, more moderate weather prevailed, slowing down the season. A minor heat spike at the end of August got us excited and we expected to start harvesting shortly thereafter, but Mother Nature had a different idea. Cool temperatures marked most of September bringing ripening to a stop. We often talk about hang-time, but rarely do we have the luxury to practice it without sacrificing moderate alcohols. This vintage showed us what hang-time really means. Our normal veraison-to-harvest interval is 40 days; in 2005 the interval averaged 50-plus days for most of our blocks. Tasting the wines now, we can see that 2005 gave us rich flavors with depth and intensity, so I guess it was worth the wait. Cheers...

Wine Spectator Magazine: 90 Points. Fragrant, elegant and delicate, offering a pretty core of sour cherry candy, with hints of raspberry, fresh earth and supple plummy notes. Ends with a long, persistent, lingering finish.

Wine Enthusiast Magazine: 86 Points. The chocolate-inspired red currant, cola and licorice flavors are lip-smackingly good.

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