Russian River Valley Woodenhead Pinot Noir 2016

Name: 2016 Russian River Valley Woodenhead Pinot Noir
Brand: Woodenhead Vintners
Price: 48 USD
Availability: InStock

a Pinot Noir from Russian River Valley • CA

by Woodenhead Vintners

$48 per bottle

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After the drought year of 2015, 2016 brought some welcome relief in the form of rain to the valley. The soils and the vines got a bit of a new life after several years of drought. I must say that although drought is not a good thing, the 2015 RRV Pinot was and is still a great wine and one of my all-time favorites. 2016 seems to be a bit lighter, polished, but still deeply flavored. Some describe the vintage as almost perfect, but I’ll leave that for you to decide. The vintage is what mother nature makes it. I just try to convey that expression to you without screwing it up as it were. Medium ruby extraction and medium-bodied. Nuanced raspberry and herbal aromatics with a touch of warm baking spices. A lovely bright palate entry, a mouthful of cherries, cola, green tea and juiciness that goes on and on. Light tannins. A sexy wine with plenty of charm, cherries wrapped with velvet in a strapless dress. Just hitting its stride, will drink great for another five years. Would pair nicely with gently spiced Asian foods, duck, spare ribs, etc. Enjoy this focused expression of Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. Our flagship that is true to form for years now, doesn’t get much better than this IMHO.

Descriptors

raspberry
herbal aromatics
baking spices
cherries
cola
green tea

Composition

100% Pinot Noir

Aging

Unfined and Unfiltered

Vineyard

Ritchie Vineyard

Alc. %

14.4%

Detailed Info

T.A.	0.66g/L
pH	3.62
Cases Produced	350
Closure	Natural
Bottle Size	Standard

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Woodenhead Vintners

Nikolai Stez is the Woodenhead winemaker. He has been at fermentation since he was a boy making the traditional Russian drink "kvas" (a fermented bread or fruit drink) that his immigrant parents taught him to make. In college, he made wines for his biology and botany classes, and started making home wines in earnest since 1986. Nick worked for 17 years of crush fun for the famous "two guys in a garage cult winery" that put Russian River Valley Pinot on the map. Working for Burt Williams as an assistant winemaker confirmed his life's passion for wine. Born in San Francisco and living on the Russian River since age one, he considers the North Coast his back yard and knows it well, from Sonoma County north to Humboldt and Del Norte. The coast range is his playground.

Zina Bower is the other part of the equation here, an escapee from L.A. and Nick's business partner. She was bitten by the wine bug in 1982 and has been intoxicated with passion for wine ever since. She started in the tasting room at Hop Kiln Winery, went to Williams-Selyem, then on to Vigil Vineyards in Calistoga and left her position as office manager of Diamond Creek Vineyards in Napa Valley. It's Zina's cheery voice you will hear on the phone when you call.