Scribe Stories: White Pressed Pinot Noir
Scribe Stories: White Pressed Pinot Noir
In our continued exploration of the variations of Pinot Noir, last year we made our very first White Pressed Pinot Noir. It’s a white wine made from red wine grapes. 2018 is our second vintage and we’re very pleased.
In 2007 we began farming this vineyard one mile from the Scribe Estate. Planted in equal parts Martini and Pommard clones, the vineyard’s Huichica loam soil and cool Carneros climate ripen this fruit at a steady, gradual pace.
After several years of drought and the North Bay fires at the end of the 2017 harvest, the 2018 vintage was a welcome return to “normal.” The winter was cool and with steady rainfall that delayed bud break by about 3-4 weeks compared to the previous years of drought and irregularly warm winters. The flowering period had a minimal amount of rain and wind which provided for nearly ideal fruit set. The rest of the growing season (our longest harvest to date) we experienced cool and foggy mornings that allowed for the grapes to ripen slowly.
Harvested at the very end of August, the grapes were pressed whole clusters, squeezing slowly and delicately and separating the initial juice that was in contact with the skins to avoid any color extraction. Any remaining color in the juice dropped out after a long and cold fermentations in stainless steel for 28 days.
The result is a bright, light and highly drinkable wine.
We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.