2014 Foley Estates T Anchor Ranch Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills

We harvest our grapes based on the ripeness of the tannins. For Pinot Noir this usually occurs between 24.5-27.0 Brix. The clusters were then gently destemmed with no crushing. The must was cold-soaked in open-top fermenters for four days. Each tank was manually punched down throughout maceration. Upon completion of primary fermentation and maceration, the free-run wine was transferred to tank for settling. Finally, the individual lots were racked to barrels and aged for 18 months prior to blending and bottling. 2014 was our third consecutive abundant vintage. The yields were high in quantity and quality with the earliest bud break on record. Ideal conditions from bloom to set accompanied by a warm growing season led to the earliest harvest we’ve had to date. This vintage yielded grape clusters with larger than average berry size that achieved optimal ripeness within a shortened time frame. The grapes were harvested in the cool morning hours of August 19 – October 10, 2014.