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2006 Thorn Road Ranch Pinot Noir

Although our label reads Thorn Road, this 2006 wine is made from the Klopp family’s Thorn Ridge Ranch. Prior to bottling there were unresolved trademark issues surrounding the name, so we went with Thorn Road. These have now been resolved and once again we will be able to refer to this lovely vineyard by its proper name. Farmed by Ted Klopp with sustainable practices, it is located high in the Sebastopol Hills, in an area which had previously been designated Sonoma Coast, but is now part of the expanded Russian River Valley appellation. The character of the fruit is neither typical Russian River nor typical Sonoma Coast. The deep dark berry profile is the result of the steep east facing aspect high above the fog line and the goldridge soils. The clones are Pommard, Swan, 667 and 777 and are from the upper and lower parts of the ranch.


Winemaker's Notes:
Inman Family 2006 Thorn Road Ranch Pinot Noir
Appellation:Russian River Valley/Sonoma Coast
Fruit Sources:100% Thorn Ridge Ranch
Harvest Data:
Harvest of both the upper and lower ranch took place on September 25, 2006, in what has come to be known as "Operation Firefly". Ted Klopp and his picking team arrived at the vineyard at 2am; the pickers donned headlamps and began to harvest to take advantage of the cool tmeperatures. The higher elevation of the Thorn Ranch means that there is no fog layer to keep it cool in the morning, so as soon as the sun rises, it begins to warm up. Sadly, because of the night pick, not as much of the Botrytis rot was cut out as might have been the case in the day which lead to serious triage at the winery.

Nevertheless, looking across the vineyard that morning was like looking at a swarm of fireflies buzzing in the vineyard. By 5:30 am, this was the view from the vineyard as we were loading the trucks for the winery. Amazing!
Winemaking:

The fruit was destemmed and fermented in open-top 5-ton stainless steel tanks. Because of Botrytis, the wine was not cold soaked and the must was adjusted with acidulated water to reduce the effects of the Botrytis (which rasied the sugar in excess of 30 degrees BRIX in the fermenter) and ease the fermentation. The wine was pressed off when dry and aged in a combination of new, one year and two year old French barrels: about 50% was new. The wine was blended to tank in February 2007 and then returned barrel, to finish the 11 month elevage. The wines were kept on their lees, even after blending, and stirred weekly between October and February. The wines were filtered by crossflow and bottled on August 21, 2007.


Wine Facts:13.7% alcohol
0.57 T.A.
3.6 pH
233 cases
Tasting Notes:
Color:bright garnet, ruby core
Aroma:Blackberry, blueberry, black tea, earth, dried mushroom and sandalwood
Flavor:
Tangy sour cherry, baked blueberries, fresh blackberries, savory roasted meat, sage and black tea. Nice tannins, to match the pretty fruit and high acid. Should age very well. Long tasty finish.

 

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Tel: 707.395.0689 :: Fax: 707 687 2055 :: Email: inquiry@inmanfamilywines.com