2006 Pinot noir | Stony Mountain
In the Vineyard
In 2006, grapes received quite a bit of hang time to develop a lush and hedonistic flavor profile. By the time the right flavors developed in the grapes, the potential alcohols had risen to high octane levels! At Raptor Ridge, we eschew watering and acidifying our wines, so please enjoy this once-in-a-decade vintage — 2006.
Stony Mountain Vineyard is a high, steep, cool site located in the coastal range west of McMinnville, Oregon.
At the Winery
We harvested on October 4, 2006, bringing the fruit in at 26.9 Brix, 5.3 TA, and 3.6 pH. The fruit was delicious, but starting to show some signs of desiccation. 85% of the fruit was destemmed while adding about 30ppm of SO2 post destemming; we layered about 15% whole clusters throughout each fermenter to add spice and mid-palette richness. After a day of cold soaking, we added 1 g/L of Tartaric acid to bolster the fruit and finish of the resulting wine. No artificial/mechanical cooling was applied and the fermenters were allowed to begin a natural (not inoculated) fermentation after about four days of soak time. On day five, each fermenter was inoculated with a strain of commercial yeasts: BM45, and BRL97.
The 2006 Raptor Ridge Stony Mountain vineyard designate is a selection of our four best barrels: 50% new oak from Ermitage Cooperage (Berce Forest) and the remainder of the cooperage from Remond Cooperage.
Tasting Notes
Much deeper, darker color extraction. Aromas of plum and blueberry. Lush and spicy on the initial palate. Telicherry pepper, and hints of sappy maple syrup. Beautifully clean with supporting, yet not prevalent French oak.
