From the Winemaker's Desk: Spring 2022 Wine Society Release
This month marks the ninth anniversary since Emily and I first opened the doors to our boutique little winery. As we've continue to grow, our small but mighty winemaking team has continued to look toward the horizon and push into new frontiers to make exceptional and limited-quantity dry wine. Late last year we forged a new Society of like-minded friends and family with whom to share these wines. The Clandestine Wine Society, simply put, is the soul of our endeavors.
The spring release includes three Tonneau Choisi wines - meaning chosen barrel - that head winemaker Martin-Tate Potts and I selected for their singular quality and character. Each 60-gallon barrel represents the best that vintage year had to offer, and produced just 300 bottles of wine:
2020 Tonneau Choisi Pinot Noir: 2020 was a year we'd all rather forget, even more so for west coast wineries that suffered fires after a dry growing season. Most wineries lost their harvest of Pinot Noir due to fire or smoke taint, rendering a 2020 vintage of the west coast Pinot Noir very rare. We were lucky and secured a premium yield of Pinot Noir from a growing partner we've established a great relationship with over the years. We crushed these grapes very delicately, as is necessary with such a sensitive variety. The wine then rested for 18 months in new French oak. Undisturbed throughout elevagé, this wine has incredible aromas of toast and vanilla married with dried fig. The wine evokes the memory of the day we received it: its aroma was just as vibrant on the crush pad as it is now in your glass. I personally selected this spring's Society gift set of Riedel Pinot Noir glasses, so the glass shape and size was equal to the caliber of the wine in it.
2019 Tonneau Choisi Merlot: The 2019 Merlot was harvested from a tiny vineyard in Dry Creek Valley using a cane-pruned method on clone 181 in sandy loam soil. We worked closely with this farmer to ensure a limited production per acre. It yielded an incredibly structured and balanced wine with bright acidity to pair wonderfully with food or stand the test of time by cellar aging. We picked a seasoned French oak barrel - air-dried for 36 months and finished with a medium toast - to accompany this variety's ripe red fruit flavors. The wine's two-year rest in this one-of-a-kind barrel complemented the fruit character and resulted in gorgeous aromatics of dried lavender and cardamom. A slow, cool tank fermentation brought out the best in what this wine offers.
2018 Tonneau Choisi Cabernet Sauvignon: Finally, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon. I chose this particular vineyard for its low-yield, high-concentration fruit. A typical vineyard will yield around 6 tons of fruit per acre - yet the vineyard that produced this vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon was restricted to only 2 tons per acre in order to concentrate the flavor of the berries. With a beautiful deep purple-black color, the 2018 vintage has aromas of ripe cassis, plum ensconced in vanilla, clove, and violet. Accompanied with plush tannins and nuances of fresh tobacco and creme brûlée, one barrel of this wine was not nearly enough - so make sure to keep some for the years ahead.
It's our pleasure to share these wines with Society members this spring. They are the very best of what we've made.
Eric
