2005 MEADOR ESTATE PINOT NOIR

As a young man I was fortunate to be included among the early American explorers of this grape in the mid seventies. The search for the Holy Grail, as it was called, was the hunt for the knowledge on how to grow and make a Burgundy style Pinot Noir. It escaped us for a very long time. But we Americans learned over the years.

This wine was grown on 30+ year old grapevines with a small portion coming from younger vines of specially selected French clones grown on rocky soil. Pinot Noir is a truly cool-climate grape, not happy at all in warmer climates. It also reacts strongly to inept tending refusing to develop cherry and berry aromas and luscious mouth impact when over cropped, even lightly. Greed must be controlled by the winegrower.

This wine is in the classical Burgundian style. The fruit and wine were perfectly balanced, the season’s weather was superb and the winemaking following the ancient procedures, went without a hitch and with little intervention. I am well pleased with this wine. JDM

Meador Estate Pinot Noir has lovely delicate aromas of violets and milk chocolate. The mouth feel is liquid silk with flavors of cherry, strawberry, vanilla and leather. Full bodied and full flavored, lengthy barrel aging in French Oak for 18 months gives the wine structure and vanilla tones. This food friendly Pinot Noir has light tannins and will be a very pleasing accompaniment to almost any entrée from a light salmon dish to that Holiday turkey dinner.

Fabulous now, or may cellar up to ten years.