2013 EQ Pinot Noir

Sourced from their younger vines from the coastal Valle Hermoso estate in the Casablanca Valley, where all of their Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc is grown, the 2013 EQ Pinot Noir is produced with grapes that have always been worked biodynamically. This is the vineyard that is closest to the sea where the soils are decomposed granite with minerals like mica and iron. The grapes are destemmed but not crushed, and in this 2013 they used a small percentage of full clusters (around 20%); it underwent a cold soak without SO2 for seven days after which the temperature was left to rise and fermentation starts. They do punching down, as they want a soft extraction. Malolactic is in barrel, where the wine matures for 14 months with one only racking. They started in 2011 to harvest a little earlier; in 2013, which was a cool vintage with good yields, the juice was quite pale, ruby with some development and a nose of berries and tea leaves. It is light to medium-bodied but very tasty, with penetrating flavors ending with a salty note. This is superb coastal, marine Pinot. This has had the advantage of one extra year in bottle compared with the 2014, and is very drinkable. 16,900 bottles produced.