WINEMAKER NOTES The cool climate of Manchester brings out lots of the bright red fruits and engulfs your nose with orange blossoms, raspberry jam, and hints of cinnamon and clove. This wine always retains a very well balanced acidity level that also brings out delicious red fruit tones such as raspberry jam, bing cherry, and strawberry. But don’t let the description fool you, this wine doesn’t lack structure, medium to full bodied and a long finish help remind you that we were blessed with plenty of sunshine over the last few years.

WINEMAKING TECHNIQUES

Clusters were hand harvested in at night to ensure gentle processing of cool fruit. At the winery, the grapes were hand sorted, destemmed, and 10% of fruit was left "whole cluster" for complexity. The grapes were then fermented in small open top bins with hand punchdowns conducted twice per day.  A blend of natural and cultured yeasts were used for fermentation. At dryness, the grapes were pressed directly into a combination of  40% new French oak barrels for 11 months aging. The final blend consists of the winemakers selection of the best barrels.

VINTAGE NOTES

Record-breaking winter rainfall kicked off the season, filling the water table to capacity and replenishing soils. A mild spring brought bud break at the normal time, and vintners reported small berries with excellent color. A hot summer culminated in a Labor Day weekend heat wave that caused some vintners to move up their harvest dates by a week or so. The grapes endured the heat and once cooler weather arrived, fruit was able to mature at a gradual pace. Mid-September rain forced growers open up canopies, and in some instances, use blowers to dry out certain varieties prior to harvesting. Early estimates predicted an average yield, but some vintners reported weight loss in the grapes after the heat wave. Because most of the fruit was picked prior to the October fires, vintners have a positive outlook on the 2017 wines, comparing the vintage to 2003, 2013 and 2014. The fruit has excellent color, pronounced flavors and high quality across varieties.

FRUIT SOURCE: MANCHESTER RIDGE VINEYARD

This is a very special vineyard.  It is located in the remote AVA of Mendocino Ridge in Mendocino County in the North Coast of California.  The location is rugged and accessible only by timber-flanked logging roads that climb to 2058 feet elevation.  There are 29.86 planted acres of a potential 78 total plantable acres.  Of the acres that are planted, 18.7 are Pinot Noir and 8.5 are Chardonnay.  The vineyard sits above the coastal fog at 2200 feet elevation just west of Anderson Valley, where the warm days and cool nights increase the hang time for the ripening of the fruit and it comes in almost a full month later than our valley vineyards.  To us, this is a hidden gem and this AVA has been described as California’s best kept secret source of spectacular wines.

THE WINERY

Bailarín Cellars was created in 2014 by a collective of family and friends, each following their respective passions and all sharing one: quality wine. Together we focus on producing small lots of handcrafted wines from unique vineyard sources. We are proud to share the fruits of our labor and love with you.