
PHILOSOPHY
Lynmar Estate celebrates the distinctive terroir of the various vineyards we farm creating wines that are elegant, complex, balanced, and age worthy. Acting as stewards of the land, the winemak¬ing team takes great care to craft wines that truly represent the dynamic, cool-climate vineyards where our grapes are grown. A genuine mosaic of the land, the people, the food, and the synergy of place at Lynmar Estate is revealed in each vintage. Perched on the first ridges above the town of Sebastopol, the Jenkins family has planted their 20-acre vineyard to Dijon clones of Pinot Noir. This sustainably farmed site enjoys well-drained Gold Ridge soils and a heavy coastal fog influence, ideal conditions for this noble variety.
2007 GROWING SEASON
By almost any measure the 2007 vintage looks absolutely fantastic, particularly in the coolest areas of Russian River Valley and the Sonoma Coast. Clearly, Pinot Noir is generating much of the hype, and deservedly so given the amazing quality that appears to have developed. The growing season was a nearly perfect, with a relatively cool, mild summer and minimal late-season heat spikes. Though a few mid-harvest rain showers caused some concerns and accelerated picking in our latest ripening sites, these locations ultimately yielded many outstanding lots. We feel the defining quality of the wines from 2007 will be that rare combination of intensity and balance. With Pinot Noir, we had small berry size along with exceptional hang time, which together have yielded wines of uncommon concentration and structure. This is a vintage where you will see many wines that are powerful, but still possess finesse. We also expect the wines from this vintage to have excellent aging potential.
VINEYARDS & WINEMAKING
In 2007 we again sourced from three blocks, including the core “Block 1” (Dijon clones 115 and 777), Block 3 (clone 667), and Block 4 (clone 777). Yields in 2007 were again low, ranging from 2 – 2.5 tons/acre. All fruit was hand-harvested early in the morning and immediately transported to the winery while still cool, then hand-sorted before being gently de-stemmed and transferred without pumping into small (3 – 4.5 ton) traditional open-top fermenters. This de-stemmed fruit was then cold-soaked for seven days at 50°F before native yeast fermentation was allowed to begin. Each fermentation was gently punched down by hand two to four times per day as needed. Total skin contact time was 14-18 days, depending on the lot. Fermentations were then drained (with skins gently basket-pressed) and lightly settled overnight. The new wines were then put into barrels where the secondary, malolactic fermentation occurred over the next several months. Racking was minimal, with aging on light lees until the final blend was assembled.
TASTING NOTES
The 2007 Jenkins Vineyard Pinot Noir is our first Pinot Noir release from this much anticipated vintage. As the Jenkins Pinot Noir is often among the first of our Pinot Noir releases, it is fitting that this wine sets the stage for the staggering quality you will soon see as the remaining 2007 Pinot Noirs are released over the next year. This third vintage from Jenkins Vineyard blends the best qualities of the last two - the intensity and richness of the 2005, and the fruit, purity, and finesse of the 2006. Aromas truly leap from the glass and immediately captivate, with primary notes of cherry and raspberry, accented with both red and dark fruit elements. There is also is a deft touch of toasty oak which adds spice and complexity, but in no way competes with the intensity of fruit. There is also a hint of cola on the palate, which is not usually something we see in fruit from this area, but is a classic quality of Russian River Valley Pinot. The texture here embodies what will be set the 2007 wines apart from other recent vintages - there is thickness and density without heaviness. This remarkable quality allows the wine to embrace its concentration and intensity and flaunt it, since it is never clumsy or awkward on the palate. While still obviously exuberantly youthful, we expect this wine to begin showing at its best during the summer of 2009 and to reward careful cellaring through 2014 and beyond.
WINE INFORMATION
Varietal Composition:
100% Pinot Noir
Aging:
14 mo. in 60 gal. French oak barrels (45% new)
Alcohol: 14.4%
pH: 3.60
T.A.: 0.53g/100ml
Fining/Filtration: Unfined & Unfiltered
Winemaker:
Hugh Chappelle
Consulting Winemaker:
Paul Hobbs
Consulting Viticulturist:
Greg Adams
Cases Produced:
482 (6x750ml)
Bottling Date: January 2009
Suggested Retail Price:
$60
Other products in the category Wines:
2006 Quail Hill Vineyard Chardonnay -- Appearance is bright yellow-green gold and leads into a complex nose of toast, peaches & cream, bread, acacia, and hazelnuts. The aromas are fresh and compelling with noticeable intensity and focus. The palate is full bodied and rich yet elegant
2006 Quail Hill Vineyard, Bliss Block Pinot Noir -- Our “Bliss Block” Pinot Noir is from a unique part of the estate and in one of the coolest pockets of the property. From the very beginning this vineyard block gave us wines of a highly distinctive and individualistic quality
2006 Quail Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir -- What we have in this wine is taut highly aromatic expression of our estate vineyard where elegance, balance, and structure are all seamlessly interwoven. The texture here is still youthfully firm but with a vibrant energy
Quail Hill Chardonnay Vertical -- 2004 - 2006 Quail Hill Vineyard Chardonnay
2004 Quail Hill Vineyard Chardonnay -- The flavors are complex and subtle, revealing bright key lime, verbena and Gravenstein apple notes, balanced by ginger, clove and a briny minerality.
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