2012 Treehouse Vineyard Pinot Noir
Offered early December 2014 - Released early March 2015
VINTAGE NOTES
2012 was the vintage we’d been waiting for. We saw beautiful growing conditions with near perfect weather at key points in the season. The all-important bloom and set performed well and left us with a large and even crop.
The challenge then came with what to do with all of the fruit. We opted to examine each and every row of Treehouse to determine if the crop load was balanced and to identify areas where we needed to thin more aggressively. This attention to detail paid off. Our decision was to drop a large amount of fruit - going down to one cluster per shoot rather than two in many cases to make sure the vines could keep up with the fruit load.
As the fruit matured we continued to enjoy wonderful growing conditions and saw none of the heat spikes that often trouble vines later in the season. Instead, warm days helped the hard working vines to ripen their crop gracefully with the necessary hang time. It is not often that we’re able to experience that combination of large crop and quality, but 2012 was special. The resulting wines are intense yet elegant with a purity of fruit that speaks so well of the vineyard.
TASTING NOTES
Aromatics: Darker cherry, ripe raspberry, cranberry and pomegranate notes with a dusting of baking spice and forest floor tones. A hint of herbal spice around the edges with traces of tobacco leaf and fig.
Flavors: Ripe mixed berries and deep, dark bing cherry saturate the mid-palate along with cranberry undertones. The voluptuous fruit is accompanied by bright acidity which expands in all directions and lifts the palate at the end of a long finish.
Mouthfeel: Treehouse both fills and charms the palate. There’s a plush texture that slowly and fully encompasses the tongue without overpowering it. The feeling is complete but not heady - a sumptuous combination of weight, power and elegance with a silky smooth and satisfying texture.
PROGRESSION OF TREEHOUSE VINEYARD
Treehouse is really starting to come into its own, assuming the role it’s destined for on this special piece of land. The roots are well established now, so the vines can rely mostly on the native ground water. The plants themselves are strong, with just the right amount of vigor. When you walk the rows you can tell that the vines are comfortable and feel good. It’s a magical place and I’m thrilled to see the vines continue to establish themselves so well in their vibrant red volcanic soils.
IT IS NOT OFTEN THAT WE’RE ABLE TO EXPERIENCE THAT COMBINATION OF LARGE CROP AND QUALITY, BUT 2012 WAS SPECIAL. THE RESULTING WINES ARE INTENSE YET ELEGANT WITH A PURITY OF FRUIT THAT SPEAKS SO WELL OF THE VINEYARD.
WHY WE HOld OUR WINES BACK
When we started this project I decided to hold our wines back for a full year after bottling to give them more time to rest and to integrate and allow more complexities to unfold. It is a luxury I’ve always wanted and the wines benefit decidedly from the extra time afforded to them. When at last the wines are opened they emerge more composed and together.
If we could, we’d hold the wines back even longer so that they were rested for several years before release. I’d encourage you to find a safe place to store this wine for the next 3 or 5 years, if not beyond. If you cannot (and who would blame you) then please decant for a few hours to allow the wine more time to present itself the way I intended.
TECHNICAL DATA
Harvest Dates: 9/13/2012-10/8/2012
Clones: 23, Swan, Mt. Eden, Calera, and Pommard. Planted to 101-14 rootstock.
Alcohol: 14.5% pH: 3.54 Acidity: 6.0
Production: 1397 c/s Yield per acre: 2.2 tons
