2019 The Plow Pinot Noir
Date Picked: September 19-20, 2019
Finished Wine: Alcohol: 13%, pH: 3.58
Suggested Retail: $60
The fruit for The Plow 2019 comes from the best parts of Blocks 1 and 2, where Larry Stone planted a refined, moderately productive Pinot Noir PN777 on Gelderman-Jory soils, with a layer of large gravels that impart extra energy to the vines and create more complex flavors. Wines grown here are the most balanced of our estate, with floral notes, minerality, freshness, round tannins and length. In 2019 this translated into a richly layered wine, with aromatic complexity and deceptively soft accessibility that is underpinned by great structure.
Vinification
In 2019 the hand-picked whole cluster fruit was kept to 18%. Fermentation proceeded with wild yeast in an equal combination of stainless steel and concrete tanks. The destemmed fruit was selected for whole berries by a special destemmer/sorter. No broken fruit goes into the cuvée. Cap management begins with gentle pump overs, followed by traditional pigeage by foot, as needed. After fermentation, the wines aged in 23% new and 77% neutral French oak barriques for 12 months followed by an additional 5 months in stainless steel tank to bring the cuvée together prior to bottling.
2019 Vintage
The vineyard was recovering from drought so that the harvest, again, brought in low yields but of excellent quality and intensity. Harvest proceeded with fruit in perfect balance and with cooler temperatures. Again, The Plow is sourced from the prized blocks 1 and 2 on Gelderman-Jory soil, with around 60% coming from the slightly higher block 1.
