Fritz Winery
2016 Pinot Noir
, Russian River Valley
This classic Russian River Pinot Noir leads with vibrant aromas of Bing cherry, cranberry and red apple skin. Subtle hints of vanilla, white sage and forest floor provide added depth and complexity. The mouthfeel exhibits a balance of juicy fruit, bright acid, and soft tannin with a lingering finish with echoes of cherry and raspberry. Delicious!
Tasting Notes
Burgundy in color, this wine has intoxicating aromas of black fruit that softly opens up, allowing for hints of baking spices. This Russian River Pinot is rich in texture with perfectly balanced acidity and firm, bold tannins. The fruit was de-stemmed only so that whole berries were transferred to open top fermenters, to help capture bright fruit aromas and flavors. Once it hits your palate it expresses flavors of Bing cherry, plum, black currant, and savory spices. The wine finishes elegantly with lingering flavors of cherry, raspberry and cocoa powder. We're loving this!
Winemaking
The fruit was de-stemmed only so that whole berries were transferred to open top fermenters, to help capture bright fruit aromas and flavors. After 5 days of a cold soak the tanks were warmed which allowed the juice to ferment naturally. The tanks were punched down 2-3 times per day for 10 days allowing skin contact for color and flavor extraction. The wine was then drained off the skins and placed in 30% New French barrels and aged for 10 months.
Analysis
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Appellation: Russian River Valley
Aging: 30% new French oak for 10 months
pH: 3.68
Alcohol: 13.9%
Production: 1500 cases
Tasting Notes 
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Ahead of their Time... In the late 1970s their winemaking facility was built into the side of a picturesque hill atop the northernmost region of the famed Dry Creek Valley. Arthur Fritz, designed the facility with an incredible foresight. They operate with a modern sensibility for efficiency and awareness by utilizing the unique attributes of our subterranean design. Fortunate that naturally cool temperatures, ideal for winemaking and cellaring, are maintained without any use of expensive or carbon-heavy devices common to most modern wine production! What's more... as a three-tiered structure, they're able to further cut down on energy usage by capitalizing on the always plentiful presence of gravity. By harnessing gravity to move juice from the crush pad down to the tanks and barrels, not only saving energy by forgoing pumps, also saving our precious juice from the detrimental effects of excessive pulsation and buffeting. It's in this way that the delicate nuances present in thier Zinfandels, Chardonnay, Pinot Noirs and other prized estate fruit is maintained. This imperishable masterpiece represents a viticultural passion for sustainability, quality and tradition.
Learn more at www.fritzwinery.com.
