Vineyards
Being a bottling that pulls from what the winemaker sees as the best barrels of any given vintage, along with a couple barrels that are processed in a slightly different style than the rest of our wines, Ananda is typically made up of Split Rail and 1-2 other lower-elevation Corralitos vineyards, but the lineup changes year-to-year. In 2020 we were not able to harvest Split Rail due to the fires that swept the Santa Cruz Mountains. So the 2020 showcases the smoke-free Pleasant Valley area of Corralitos. 2020 is 63% Saveria, 21% Lester and 16% Hand in Hand.
Winemaker Notes
There's a dusty topnote to the 2020 that's fascinating to me, reminiscent of fresh-sawn redwood and hints of conifer leaves. Fruit aromas are in the realm of Santa Rosa plum, bing cherry and hints of hibiscus tea. At this young age, there are still some toasty undertones from the (minimal) new oak used. The palate is deep and fruit-driven, with some nice pinosity (pinot's unique pheromone ;) ) and savory elements. There's a good balance of red fruit and some darker fruit on the palate, with plenty of structural tannin and acidity. The tannins were surpisingly resolved already when opened and immediately re-corked 24 hours before drinking, which shows a bit of the wine's aging potential. Velvety edges. Non-aggressive. Drink now through 2030.
Geek Stuff
- Rosé was first direct-pressed from 1 bin of Pinot Noir. That was fermented separately for our rosé program. The skins and stems from the press were then loaded into a red wine fermentor, where the rest of the grapes were destemmed on top of it for fermentation with extra skins & stems. This 3 barrels of the lot.
- The other half is a barrel selection of the winemaker's favorite 4 barrels from the cellar.
- Clones are Calera, 122 (Vosne Romanée), Mt Eden, 667 and 115.
- Aged 18 months sur lie in French oak barrels, 14% new.
- Coopers are Montgillard, Billon, TN Coopers and Ermitage.
- Harvested at 23 - 23.5 degrees brix.
- 14 days total cuvaison on the skins.
- Yeasts are native, AMH and BRG.
Accolades
Past reviews are 93-94. This vintage not yet submitted.