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2004 Pinot Noir, Shea Vineyard, special selection
Release Date: 6/2006 Futures Price: $ 240 per 6 bottles Production Notes: The grapes were fermented in a Burgundy oak fermenter after two days of cold maceration. The wine aged French oak barrels for 16 months before bottling. The Cuve de chene, special selection was selected from the three best barrels. This unique cuvée represents the most rigorous selection of grapes and wines in each vintage. Only 75 cases are produced and this wine is available only as a future. This Pinot noir complements sweet meat entrees - lamb chops, filet, grilled salmon. When served young, this wine is best decanted or allowed to breathe for several hours. It is drinkable at release and will benefit from aging up to 8 years.
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Winemaker Notes
In the past, we have offered Pinot noir futures to ensure that our out-of-state customers could purchase small production wines before they sold out. Our website now allows 24 hour a day access to all of St. Innocent's wines from the moment they are released. As a result, we have stopped offering any of our commercial wines as futures.
In 1999 and 2001 we offered another type of future, a unique bottling of a barrel selection. Two to four barrels were selected from the 30 or so barrels of one single vineyard offering and bottled as a special cuvee. These cuvees were sold only at the winery. They represented the best wine of the vintage and were always age worthy.
In 2002, we purchased two French oak, Burgundy style fermenters, one produced by the Vicard cooperage, the other by Taransaud. Half of the 2002 Pinot noir, Anden Vineyard was fermented in the Vicard tank, the other half in a stainess steel tank. In my 2002 harvest report, I described the fermentation aromas in the wood tank as the best I have ever smelled. We bottled the 2002 Pinot noir Anden Vineyard Special Selection from the best two barrels of wine(out of 16) fermented in the Vicard tank. We added the designation, "cuve de chene" ("tank of oak"), to indicated that the wine was fermented in a wooden fermenter.
I am convinced that grapes fermented in wooden Burgundy fermenters capture more of the nuances of Pinot noir and produce more complex wines. Each year, I select the two best lots of fruit and ferment them in either the Taransaud or Vicard tanks. The Special Selection is a three barrel selection from those lots.
When the Shea Vineyard Pinot noir fruit arrived at the winery in 2004, it was astonishingly beautiful. Perfectly ripe, it was clearly the most perfect of the vintage and the decision to make our first Special Selection for Shea was easily made. The 2004 Shea Vineyard, special selection was fermented in our Taransaud fermenter. This future offering will be selected from the three best barrels of the 19 produced from that tank. This wine reflects the best grapes picked in 2004, the best fermentation, anad the best three barrels from that lot. It is quite literally the best wine we can produce.
Futures are being offered from Thanksgiving weekend 2005 through January 2006. A maximum of 75 cases are available for sale. Our futures offering may end early if the 75 cases are sold prior to the end of January 2006. Sold in six bottle lots, the finished wine will be available for pick-up (or shipped) in June 2006.