2003 van der Kamp Pinot noir -- Tandem Winery Shopping Cart
$48.00
-- 91 POINTS - The Wine Enthusiast
91 POINTS - The Wine Enthusiast
"This is a very soft, sensuous Pinot, low in tannins, with a smooth, creamy mouthfeel. The flavors are rich and exuberant in smoky red cherries, raspberries and cola. The softness suggests against extended cellaring, but why wouldn't you want this silky, complex wine now?"
Tasting Notes:
At a recent Van der Kamp tasting, a fellow winemaker said it best, “Wonderful expression of Van der Kamp terroir”. The trademark smoky, roast meat and forest floor quality is well-framed by aromas of dark cherry and hints of deep, sweet cola. The Sarsaparilla theme follows on the mouth, with continued sweetness and richness filling out the huge frame set by what was a great year for acid-tannin balance. The finish is big, but smooth and with mouth-spreading, rich tannins that persist long into the finish. Late flavors of dark cherry again show up as the wine’s finish echoes its initial aroma. The circle IS complete!
Technical Data:
- Vineyard: Located near the top of Sonoma Mountain on the North-facing slope, Martin, Dixie and Ulysses have planted most of the traditional Pinot clones that have put California on the map, as well as the best of the newest and hottest Dijon clones. The soil supporting these all-star vines is a reddish volcanic loam, from intense rocky slopes above the “Red Shoulder” to deeper, browner but still volcanic clay loam in the “Horn Section”. We are privileged enough to pull from all of the areas of the ranch, a few boxes at a time.
- Harvest: Was again a late year on the mountain. Ulysses resisted the temptation to harvest earlier and we settled into a cooler trend that rewarded us with a taming of the highland tannins. Picking clone by clone and section by section, harvest extended from mid-September to early October, with the 828 clone by the reservoir the last to come in.
- Fermentation: Once again a wild cacophony of yeast and secondary fermentation made things exciting, with the early Kloechera voicing first the smoked venison notes, followed by deeper and more complex voices, finished last by the delicate rose tones of Saccharomyces. Malolactic took its sweet time, finishing in June of the following year and providing a final silky polish to the high-mountain tannin and acid frame of the wine.
- Barrel Aging: We made a switch from the more aggressive Francoise Freres base, choosing this year to focus on Remond for our 1/3 new oak. Total time in barrel was 11 months.
- Final bottling technical information of 645 cases:
- pH: 3.68
- TA: 6.68 g/L
- 14.3% alcohol
- Residual sugar: 0.1%
SKU: 03PNVK
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