2019 Kiser Vineyard Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley

Just 9.5 miles from the Pacific, the iconic Kiser Vineyard is situation in the far northwestern corner of Anderson Valley's "deep end". This extremely cool site, ringed by redwoods, was planted in 1999 and has two distinctive blocks. The upper block at 600ft. elevation has clones 114, 667, and 777 on compressed sandstone with bands of schist. The lower block at 300ft. elevation has clone 115 on dense soils. The vineyard is cared for by Ernest and Ruthann Kiser.
3.84 tons of hand-harvested and sorted on Sept. 14, 23, and 27. All closed fermented separately (15% whole cluster) in open-top tanks using wild yeasts. A 4-day cold soak preceded regular cap management for balanced extraction during a 12-16 day primary fermentation. Aged for 10 months in 30% new oak. Bottled without fining or filtration.
AROMA
Chinese five spice, blackcurrant, kelp
FLAVOR
black cherry, hibiscus tea, mushroom
FOOD PAIRINGS
Cuban sandwich, braised black lentils, paella