Sea Smoke Winemaker Notes: The 2007 Southing is a marriage of complexity and elegance. The seductive nose begins with a combination of dried and fresh flowers, then blueberries, fresh chanterelle, and a hint of guava. The voluptuous mouthfeel and fine tannins are balanced by our estate vineyard's characteristic cool climate acidity.

WINEMAKING: We sorted clusters in the vineyard and then gently de-stemmed following an evening in our cold room. We removed all ‘jack stems’ on the sorting table. Musts were cold soaked in open-top fermenters for one to four days, then inoculated with cultured yeasts to begin slow fermentation. Each tank was manually punched down one to three times per day, with a total maceration time of fourteen to eighteen days. Upon completion of primary fermentation and maceration, all free run wine was transferred to tank for settling. We pressed at extremely low pressure (0.08 bars) to avoid extracting bitterness from the seeds. After settling overnight both free-run and press wines were racked to barrels.

CHARACTER: The 2007 Southing is a marriage of complexity and elegance. The seductive nose begins with a combination of dried and fresh flowers, then blueberries, fresh chanterelle, and a hint of guava. The voluptuous mouthfeel and fine tannins are balanced by our estate vineyard's characteristic cool climate acidity.

APPELLATION Santa Rita Hills; COMPOSITION 100% Pinot Noir; VINEYARD SOURCE Exclusively Sea Smoke Estate Vineyard; ALCOHOL 14.5% by volume; PH 3.37; TOTAL ACIDITY 0.7g/100ml; BARREL AGING 16 months; OAK PROFILE 65% new French oak, 35% re-used French oak; (12 different coopers); RELEASE DATE October 2009; SUGGESTED RETAIL 50 U.S. dollars.

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