TASTING NOTES
Located just off the coastal region of Mendocino County, peaceful and bucolic Anderson Valley has warm, sunny days, foggy mornings and cool nights that create the ideal microclimate for producing the Lazy Creek Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir. This delicious, sustainably-farmed wine has aromas of pomegranate, blackberry, and floral notes. Dark fruit flavors of blueberry and black currant lead to a rich mid palate with notes of pomegranate, followed by a lingering toasty cocoa finish.

VINTAGE NOTES
Our low-yielding vineyard of Pinot Noir grapes is comprised of Heritage and Dijon clones. The 2017 season began with record rainfall amounts during the winter, filling our reservoirs after 4 years of drought. Spring was mild, bringing favorable conditions during bloom, which led to a nicely set crop. As the season continued, we experienced more than an average number of hot days early to mid-summer, and then record highs over Labor Day weekend. Fortunately, the vines were ready to handle the heat with adequate soil moisture supplied by all the rain. The grapes for this wine were harvested the last couple weeks of September.

WINEMAKER NOTES
The hand-harvested grapes for this Pinot Noir are fermented in small open top tanks and macro bins. After a three day cold soak at 50 degrees Fahrenheit to optimize fruit aromas and flavors, various yeast strains are introduced for complexity. Fermentors are punched down one to three times per day. Wines are pressed when dry and then racked to barrels to complete malolactic fermentation. The final blend was assembled in July and bottled in August.

FOOD PAIRINGS
The Lazy Creek Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir is delicious paired with braised meats, fowl, veal, salmon, lobster and prawns. Medium-textured soups and stews are also complementary. For cheese pairings with our Pinot Noir, try Gruyère, Gouda, French chévre, Comté, Edam or a light cheddar.