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2020 Deer Camp Vineyard Pinot Noir

2020 Deer Camp Vineyard Pinot Noir

Carneros750ml 14.4

Our Deer Camp Pinot Noir is a vineyard designated wine from the Etude Estate Vineyards at Grace Benoist Ranch. This multi-vineyard ranch is tucked away in the far northwest corner of the Carnero...

Our Deer Camp Pinot Noir is a vineyard designated wine from the Etude Estate Vineyards at Grace Benoist Ranch. This multi-vineyard ranch is tucked away in the far northwest corner of the Carneros appellation and features well-drained, rocky upland soils.

$90.00
$90.00

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Specifications

  • Vintage: 2020
  • Region: Carneros
  • Appelation: Carneros
  • ABV: 14.4
  • Varietal: Pinot Noir

Tasting Notes

Deer Camp always offers a unique expression of Pinot Noir from Grace Benoist Ranch, with depth and weight, alongside a lovely rusticity and bramble character. Full and rich, with a concentrated structure and tons of ripe, dark berry fruits on the nose and the palate. Multi-layered with flavors of boysenberry, blueberry and black cherry are supported by warmed spiced notes of vanilla, cinnamon, and clove. Earthier notes of cedar and black tea leaf sit alongside perfumed wild violet and chaparral brush. Fresh, mouthwatering acidity supports the sweet, midpalate sucrosity, leading to fine-grained tannins that are soft and textured, creating balance, elegance, and grace, finishing long and satisfying.

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The Vineyard

Deer Camp Vineyard

The Deer Camp Vineyard at Grace Benoist Ranch is located on a southwest facing slope of two blocks we refer to as the Pinot Bowl. Featuring distinctive rocky, well-drained soils of Kidd Stony Loam, the site is planted mostly to the Martini clone of Pinot Noir, which produces thick-skinned, pulpy grapes that hold up well to the fog and wind that blow through this cool climate vineyard. This small vineyard was named after an old deer camp structure that stands at the base of this site.

Process

The 2020 vintage

  • Winter

    The 2020 season is considered another successful vintage, despite being remembered for factors beyond the typical harvest season. It was a warm, dry winter and the rain and cooler weather didn’t arrive until the end of March.

  • Spring

    While the mild spring season was a great early start, our winery working conditions had extensive safety protocols due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

  • Summer

    Summer brought very cool mornings and very warm days, but then harvest was interrupted by wildfires across California, which came as grapes started to be picked, and we were very fortunate that none of our vineyards were in the areas of the active fires.

  • Harvest

    The red wine harvest started in late August, with the wines showing excellent development in cellars, reflecting the fine vintage year.

Crafted Excellence

Winemaking

The grapes for this wine were harvested at night to preserve freshness and integrity. They were placed in open-top fermenters for 3-5 days of cold maceration followed by fermentation. A small percentage of the grapes were left as whole cluster to preserve the buoyancy of aromatics of the fruit and to add structure and refinement to the wine. Punch downs were performed during the early stages of fermentation with the extraction becoming gentler as the wine became dry, and followed with a quiet extended maceration to help modify the richness and mouthfeel of the wine. The wine was lightly pressed into small French oak barrels where it rested for 14 months.