Marin wines mostly tend toward the lighter bodied, brighter acidity end of the California spectrum, and that's generally true of my pinot also. I'm more interested in letting secondary earth and spice notes show through than I am in presenting a wall of primary fruit in my wine.
I'm happy with the 2018. It's a little less ripe and a little more elegant than the 2017. Classic floral aromatics were enhanced by co-fermentation with a good dose of viognier skins in the fermenter. Iodine mineral streak now, and I feel there are meaty and peppery notes that will emerge with time. This is no bruiser, but it's not especially lean either. Rather supple and long for a cool climate rendition of syrah.
This is my first vintage of a second label pinot noir. I had a chance to take a stab at this due to an abundant harvest in 2019; it may not be an every year thing. This bottling is designed be affordable and ready for early quaffing. Picked a little earlier and skewing clearly toward the red fruit end of the pinot spectrum, this is significantly more fruit-forward than my main bottling.
Now for something completely different. It's a sparkler! My first! Take your poolside quaffing up a notch with this zero dosage, lively, lovely and pink bit of frothy fun!
The 2020 viognier features my best-yet fruit component -- zippy citrus and fresh white peach. The more serious grapefruit pith spine that usually undergirds the flashier fruit and floral panache of my viognier is there, but this is a slightly more delicate rendition than most prior vintages. Another new thing, which may be a figment of my imagination, is a faint white pepper note that seems to come and go. Lots to like with this one.
