Winery note: 2010 Rivers-Marie Silver Eagle Vineyard Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast - 169 cases, 14.2% alc., 40% new oak
This year we managed to bottle the wine absent all signs of reduction. Because of this it definitely comes across as higher-toned with more of a pomegranate/pine needle profile. Expertly farmed by Ulises Valdez, the balance you see in the vineyard you can actually taste in the wine. It's more of a medium weight wine compared to last year's which allows it to be big for the portfolio but still retain focus and delineation. With more to choose from, we were able to dial in the blend better focusing on what Ulises calls clone VR and sprinkling in a bit of clone 828 for complexity. The 2011 in barrel looks to be the third consecutive solid effort from this site and we hope it continues to be a part of the program for a long time.

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