Trail Marker Wine Co. 2022 Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountians

Vintage Notes: Santa Cruz was mostly spared the brutal heat waves that marked the end of the 2022 growing season for so many, (thank god). The resulting grapes that went into the 2022 Santa Cruz Mountain blend are marked by gorgeous acidity, balanced with a lovely mid palate weight. The late bud-break and uneven flowering had us worried, but a little heat spike in mid June evened everything out. From there on out it was a winemakers dream of a year, constant fog gave way to warm days before the maritime influence would reliably roll back in from the Monterey Bay. The grapes were harvested at 22.1 - 24.5 brix between September 10th and September 26th.

Vineyard Notes: A blend of 4 Santa Cruz Mountain sites in the southwest region of the Santa Cruz Mountains near the towns or Scott’s Valley and Aptos. All 4 sites have Calcareous alluvial soils with huge calcium rich deposits. Uplift from the Pacific Ocean meets granite coming down from the towering Loma Prieta mountains above. Clones 115, 667 and 777.

Winemaking Notes: All the fruit was picked at first light and transported via reefer truck to the winery where it was sorted before being transferred to open top tanks with 50% whole cluster. After a 4 to 5 day cold soak, all lots underwent native fermentation. A blend of punch- downs and pump-overs occurred for 2 weeks until the dry wine was pressed to a blend of neutral and 33% new French barrels where it aged of 10 months. Bottled sans filtration or fining.

Tasting Notes: Aromas of oolong tea, red currant, red licorice and coniferous forest. On the palate Italian plum, rhubarb pie, licorice root, clove.