2021 Pinot Noir Southeast Block
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- Certified Organically Grown
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- Harvest date: October 3, 2021
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- Grapes at harvest: Brix 22.5, pH 3.09, TA 7.5 g/L
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- Finished wine: Alcohol 13.7%, pH 3.48, TA 5.9 g/L
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- Barrel aged 11 months in French oak, 33% new barrels
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- Cases produced: 147
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- Bottled unfined August 30, 2022
The Southeast Block is a six-acre section of ownrooted Pommard clone vines planted in 1979 on a south-facing slope between 420 and 520 feet elevation. The red clay soil is volcanic in origin, three feet deep and well drained. The Southeast Block sits just below the Flat Block, but despite their proximity in both age and location, the Southeast Block expresses the darker and more savory side of Bethel Heights, showcasing more structure and sinewy muscle under a dense core of black fruits.
WINEMAKER NOTES
Of all our older blocks the Southeast Block has been in the steepest decline, probably because it is in fact quite steep, and water, soil, and all the trouble that can live therein tend to move faster downhill. Nonetheless, much like the Flat Block, the Southeast had a banner year in 2021, yielding more fruit than it had since 2017, and showcasing the brooding, forest floor over black cherry and cassis character that has been the mold since settling into a fourth decade.
ACCOLADES
96+ Wine Advocate
"The 2021 Pinot Noir Southeast Block has slowly blossoming scents of red cherry, pomegranate, aniseed, tar, conifer and bergamot. The light-bodied palate is pleasantly austere with its chalky tannins and delicately styled, floral fruit. It offers bursts of energetic acidity and a very long, ethereal finish. Mineral-driven and delicate at this stage, it deserves a few more years in bottle."
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