WINEMAKER NOTES
Plenty of moisture in the soil from a wet winter helped feed the vines with plenty of nutrients that made this wine showcase all that southern Russian River has to offer. The nose is filled with forest floor, rose petals, dried cherry, boysenberry, cherry cola, and fig. The structure of this wine is medium to full bodied and develops in the glass with each swirl. Bright cherry tones in the front lead way to rich jam tones on the back. The long lasting finish of vanilla and Christmas spice, complement the bright fruits and create a complex palate that is ever changing.
VINTAGE NOTES
2019 provided Sonoma County with a nearly ideal growing season. It all started out with a long winter, bringing and abundance of rain that went well into spring. This resulted in a late bloom and slower but longer growing season which led to longer hang times for the grape bunches with more even ripeness throughout the vineyards. We were about 2 weeks behind average expected harvest dates. The pros to this were that we retained more natural acidity in the grapes and were able to capture more of our late summer sunshine to develop flavors. The vintage proved to bring some stellar grapes through the door and produced some quality wines packed with lots of fruit flavors and bright, fresh acidity. The fires of 2019 did not affect any of our wines as we were fully in tank and barrel by the time they arrived.
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 punch downs conducted twice per day. A blend of natural and cultured yeasts was used for fermentation. At dryness, the grapes were pressed directly into a combination of 40% new French oak barrels and 60% 1 year plus barrels for 11 months aging. The final blend consists of the winemaker’s selection of the best barrels.
FRUITE SOURCE: SUACCI VINEYARD
Suacci Vineyard is a 6.5-acre vineyard planted on south facing slopes of the Sebastopol Hills in Blucher Valley. An especially cool pocket of the Russian River Valley, there are short windows of heat in the midday, followed once again by the ocean breezes which flow through the Petaluma Gap. With low yields and tiny clusters, this vineyard consistently produces Pinot Noir with intense, complex flavors and pronounced acidity.
THE WINERY
Bailarín Cellars was created in 2014 by a collective of family and friends, each following their respective passions. 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.