Country: | United States |
Regions: | California California (Lodi) |
Winery: | Van Ruiten Vineyards |
Grape Type: | Pinot Noir |
Vintage: | 2010 |
Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
Belle Glos Las Alturas Vineyard Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Deep garnet in color with an aromatic medley of black cherry, marionberry, ripe plum and a hint of anise. Dark fruit on the palate with flavors of wild berries, caramelized oak and cacao nibs complemented by subtle notes of vanilla, cedar and a hint of lavender and forest floor. Rich and unrestrained, this wine’s abundant fruit is beautifully balanced by firm acidity and layers of red and black fruit.
Review:
Deep and dark aromas of black cherry, sandalwood and incense make for a heady nose on this bottling. The palate is big and bold, loaded with ripe black cherry and boysenberry flavors, as peppery, incense-like spices add complexity and the texture stays lusciously creamy.
-Wine Enthusiast 93 Points
Hamilton Russell Vineyards Bramble Hill Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Hamilton Russell Vineyards in South Africa has developed an international reputation over 40 vintages for unusually restrained, classically styled Pinot noir, with deep structure and spice balancing fruit opulence. Hamilton Russell Oregon aims to express this stylistic philosophy with the very best Willamette Valley fruit - showcasing the restrained, structured classicism of great European Pinot noir and the bright purity of Oregon fruit. The celebrated Bramble Hill vineyard in Ribbon Ridge, delivers a particularly bright, pure, lively minerality to complement the complex lifted fruit the best Oregon Pinot noir is known for.
Review:
Limpid ruby-red. Fresh red berries, blood orange, floral and baking spice qualities on the incisive nose. Juicy, focused and lithe on the palate, offering subtly sweet raspberry and cherry flavors and building spicecake and cola nuances. Closes long and nervy, with discreet tannins framing repeating floral and spice notes.
-Vinous 93 Points
The Stone Corral Vineyard is planted on a southeast slope on the west side of the Edna Valley which has an east/west orientation opening up to the Pacific Ocean from Morro Bay and Pismo Beach. Approximately 120 to 300 feet above sea level, the climate is strongly influenced by the ocean providing ideal temperate growing conditions for Pinot Noir. Early spring warming, mild summer temperatures and late arriving cold fall temperatures and rain provide a long growing season for the development of rich color, concentrated and complex flavors. Soil profiles vary between blocks from sand, sandy loam, loamy sand, pebbly sandy clay loam, all fine angular blocky , including decomposing sandstone layers and numerous fossil rocks. The soils are well drained and marine in origin, resulting in an elegant Pinot Noir with extraordinary attributes.
This gem is a blend of a few precious, select barrels hailing from the finest blocks of Stone Corral Vineyard. Offers blue-toned fruit on the nose and a pretty bouquet of black raspberry, sandstone, marzipan and wild lupine flowers. Opulent, yet delicate on the palate, with velvety layers of cola nut, cherry, dried herbs and pecan sandie cookies.
Wine analysis – 13.7% Alcohol, .69 TA, 3.5pH
- A barrel select Stone Corral Vineyard bottling, utilizing the finest blocks and clones of the 2013 vintage
- Blend of clones 115, 777 and 667 on 101-14 and 3309 rootstalks
- Hand harvested, cold fruit from night picks during the month of September 2013
- Yield about 2 tons per acre between 23.8 and 24.5 ° Brix
- Destemmed with nearly 100 % whole berries remaining
- Fermented in small open top tanks
- 4 day cold soak, average 14 day fermentation, peak temperature 83°
- Hand punched down several times daily as needed
- Pressed off just dry, tank settled then racked to barrels
- Aged in small French oak barrels for 18 months
- Once the fresh wine is transferred from the press pan, all moving of the wine is done with inert gas pressure.
When handling the wine, care is taken at all opportunities to avoid shear.
"This bottling comes from the best blocks and barrels from this single vineyard, co-owned by a number of Edna Valley luminaries. The result is stunning, with baked raspberry, strawberry, maple, and peppery bacon aromas comprising a spicy, exotic nose. Black plum fruit melds with white pepper and crushed herbs, diving into tangy strawberry and sandalwood incense notes on the finish. - Matt Kettmann"
- Wine Enthusiast Magazine (April 1st 2017), 95 pts
Belle Glos Clark and Telephone Vineyard Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Deep ruby red in color with scarlet highlights, Clark & Telephone opens with bountiful aromas of red fruits of cranberry and raspberry jam, laced with clove, cedar, and holiday baking spices. Bold and complex flavors of crushed ripe cherry, cranberry and blueberry pie linger on the palate. The texture is rich and lively, and leads into a warm and structured finish.
Review:
Packed with ripe, juicy boysenberry so luscious it tastes freshly picked. Preternaturally generous, with mint, dark chocolate, and hints of sandalwood and clove incense.
-Tasting Panel 96 Points
Belle Glos Clark and Telephone Vineyard Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
The Clark & Telephone Vineyard was established in 1972 and planted with “own root” Martini clone vines. Located just 13 miles from the ocean and situated on a west-facing slope, this vineyard experiences weather patterns that pull from west to east to bring cool fog and coastal breezes inland until August when Santa Ana winds begin.
We harvested early in the morning so the fruit would arrive at the winery while the grapes were still cool to preserve their vineyard-fresh flavors. After destemming (but not crushing) the berries, we cold-soaked the must for 14 days to soften the skins and allow for ideal extraction. During fermentation in a combination of closed and open-top stainless steel fermenters, we used both punch-down and pump-over techniques to extract color and phenolics. We aged the wine in 100% French oak (60% new) for up to 12 months. After the wine underwent malolactic fermentation, we racked it twice before bottling.
Deep ruby red in color with lush aromas of ripe cherry, nutmeg, dark chocolate and holiday baking spices. Bold and complex flavors of black plum, crushed raspberry and blueberry pie linger on the palate. The texture is rich and lively, and leads into a warm and structured finish.
Review:
Burnished black raspberry and graphite form a bond on a foundation of dark chocolate and sweet tobacco. White pepper outlines rose petal on the well-structured palate before perky acidity and a creamy weightiness highlight the lengthy finish.
-Tasting Panel 95 Points
Bydand Pinot Noir Umino Vineyard is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
This small, sustainably farmed vineyard perches on a south-facing ridge in the Sebastopol Hills area of the esteemed Russian River Valley AVA, and has produced exceptional Pinot Noir for Bydand since their first vintage. Third-generation farmer David Umino rejected early assessments that the site was too cool for viticulture, and planted Pinot Noir there in 1996. The cold maritime winds in fact help to modulate ripening, and protect the grape’s natural purity and balance - resulting in fruit-driven wines with expressive red fruit and dark berry flavors, balanced with crushed rock and mouth-watering freshness. Velvety tannins coat the palate, providing an alluring and persistent finish.
This site combines the best of the earthy west Sonoma Coast and well-fruited Russian River.
The Van Ruiten Pinot Noir Steamboat Vineyard possesses wonderful notes of boysenberries, blueberries, raspberries, damp forest and spring flowers. With medium-bodied richness and complex aromatics, it seems more evolved. It reflects the excellence of the 2010 vintage. Give 1-2 years of additional bottle age and drink it through 2018.
Vineyard: Steamboat Vineyard
Composition: Winemakers Privledge
Harvest Date: September 12th, 2010
Sugar: 26.0- Brix
Total Acid: 0.59 g/100 mL
pH: 3.60
Residual Sugar: 0.29 g/100mL Dry
Alcohol: 13.5%
Fermentation: 10 days on skins in Roto-Fermentor
Aging: 12 Months in French Oak Barrels
Bottling Date: February 3rd, 2012
Release Date: Spring 2012
Production: 1200 Cases
The Van Ruiten Winery Estate
Mid-way between the Sierra Foothills and San Francisco Bay Delta, vineyards such as those owned by the Van Ruiten Family profit from the ideal delta influenced climate (cool afternoon breeze) that produce ripe full-flavored Zinfandels. Before settlement, the San Joaquin Valley was often an inland sea after winter rains and spring snow melt. The resulting flood drainage and soil deposits surrounding Lodi left a rich soil that drains easily, producing one-of-a-kind harvests.
For 50 years, the grapes grown in the Van Ruiten vineyards were harvested and shipped to other wineries every summer. The family wanted to branch out into winemaking, and in 1999 the first varieties of the Van Ruiten wines went into production. Among the most memorable and lasting first wines was a Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz blend that remains one of the families most popular today, along with the famous Old Vine Zinfandel, and the exceptional Chardonnay.
In 2000, less than a year after kicking off its first season of winemaking, the Van Ruiten family opened a state-of-the-art winery among their vineyards along Highway 12. The following year saw an addition of a tasting room, which allowed thirsty travelers to sample the winery's growing list of award winning wines. Soon a growing number of local boutique wineries were knocking at the door, seeking custom crush and winemaking services.
World class wine collectors, as well as leading vintners, entrepreneurs, consumers and wine lovers have quickly discovered the distinctiveness and quality available through the old family vineyards in Lodi. They now look for the Lodi and specifically the Van Ruiten Family name when patronizing exclusive establishments presenting the best wines for the world to their customers.
Three generations of the Van Ruiten family now work together tending the vineyards, managing the winery and bringing the finest wines to market. The Van Ruitens believe that hard work and an uncompromising commitment to excellence are the cornerstones of success today, and for their sixteen grandchildren and the generations to come.
The Vineyard
The Van Ruiten Family has been growing grapes in the Lodi area for more than 50 years. What started out as a table grape community slowly transitioned into the growing of wine grapes in the early 1900’s. Among the flourishing vines was the legendary Lodi Zinfandel. John’s first acres of Zinfandel still remain as part of the estate today. These Zinfandel vines are among the oldest, most historic and shyest bearing vines. Our newest addition in 2007 was the planting of our 40 acre Primitivo vineyard. This red varietal, also known as Zingarello, is genetically related to California’s Zinfandel. It originated and is still mainly grown in Southern Italy, but it is starting to make its way around the world.
Throughout the last five decades the farming practices have changed with the introduction of new technology and eco-friendly farming techniques. In an effort to move in the direction of Sustainable Farming Practices we erected nesting boxes for owls throughout our vineyards. The owls that reside in these boxes help keep the rodent population down without the use of poisons in the soil. Over the course of the last few years, thanks to the owls, the rodent population is under control without the use of pesticides. Though farming practices have changed, the motto has stayed the same. The family has prided itself in the uncompromising commitment to producing top quality grapes and passing knowledge down from generation to generation, while sharing newly learned growing practices.
After five decades the family farms an estimated 1000 acres of wine grapes, with only their best fruit destined to carry the family name. All of the fruit that enters the winery for Van Ruiten Vineyards has been picked by hand at its perfect ripeness and gently pressed to preserve the delicacy and purity of the fruits rich flavors. Three generations of the Van Ruiten family now work together tending the vineyards, managing the winery and envisioning a future for their ever growing cellar and tasting room.
All older vintage wines have been purchased from a single collectors cellar. Pictures can be requested before shipment.
Grand Veneur Cotes Du Rhone Les Champauvins Blanc is made 100% Viognier. Located in the area known as "Les Champauvins", close to Domaine Grand Veneur. The soils are clay-sand and limestone. They enable the white grape varieties to ripen slowly, thus preserving their excellent aromatic finesse.
A great Viognier, conceived and produced with finesse and freshness in mind. Bright, limpid pale yellow color. Intense, delicate nose of floral and white-fleshed fruit aromas. Fresh, mineral and airy on the palate. White peach and pear aromas are the most expressive. The fruity characters are long-lasting, evolving into notes of apricot after a few hours' aeration.