2023 Pinot Noir
Sometimes I feel like my life is not measured in years, but in Pinot vintages. For those curious, one Pinot vintage is roughly equivalent to seven human years, and to that end 2023 might be the year I finally felt my age, in Pinot years.
A great deal of effort went into keeping things on the rails during the tumultuous summer of 2023, but a stabilizing September proved to be the stroke of luck we needed to salvage our early varietals. Many consecutive warm, dry days and subsequent cool nights allowed for an extended ripening window and a rare October harvest for St. David's Bench Pinot Noir.
The 2023 Pinot would be the first fruit to benefit from the use of a new destemmer, nicknamed "Red October", which was better equipped to gently remove whole, intact berries from the stems than our less discretionary older model. Sourcing the right destemmer for a winery of our size sent me on a journey to many different wine regions, until I happened upon a promising classified ad featuring this specific unit. It was located in Oregon, and upon inquiry the winemaker revealed that she was sad to part with it, but their winery had outgrown its capabilities.
"What it lacks in speed, it makes up for in delicacy," she said. "Well, hell," I replied, "that may as well be the Five Rows motto - sold!" And with that, the hunt for Red October was finally over.
My longtime dream of more whole berries in my fermentations was now a reality. The benefits of extracting intact berries versus a more crushed-up maceration are numerous; and it's one of the reasons that some winemakers even opt for 100% whole cluster fermentations with stems included. I've experimented with various levels of whole cluster inclusion in our Pinot fermentations over the years, but feel that anything over 10% isn't really beneficial. The condition and maturity of the stems is a factor here, but my ideal bin would be 10% whole clusters and the rest destemmed.
Whole berries obviously lead to more intracellular fermentation, which promotes lower temperatures and delayed sugar release. This encourages a slightly stressed fermentation (not a bad thing) and enhanced texture through increased glycerol production. The result can be a partial carbonic maceration which helps preserve the quality of the fruit, delicacy of texture and capacity to age. Whole berry fermentations have also been shown to build savoury characters and complexity, and in some "big" Pinot Noir appellations it can add structure without adding coarseness or bitterness.
It took me a while to dial in the conveyer and roller speeds, but before long the beautiful berries were gently rolling down the chutes into the bins. The fermentations started spontaneously after a five day cold soak, and were noticeably cooler and slower in progression, just as I had hoped. In total, the fruit remained on the skins for seventeen days before gentle pressing, settling and then racking to barrels (17% new oak).
The 2023 Pinot Noir is a product of diligent vineyard strategy, favourable September weather and the willingness to experiment with something new. Aromatically, we are talking Bing cherry, cranberry and red licorice with very subtle mushroom notes almost hidden amongst the vibrant fruit. The refined tannins and smooth overall texture are what separates this wine from previous vintages at the same stage of evolution. Enjoy this wine now or stash it away for the next couple of Pinot years.