Davis Bynum 2015 Pinot Noir, Jane's Vyd., Russian River Valley

Davis Bynum has been producing top quality Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley for over 3 decades. They hold claim to producing the very first single vineyard Pinot Noir in the Russian River Valley- a 1973 Rochioli Vineyard. Carrying that tradition forward to today, this wine is sourced entirely from their Jane's Vineyard. Janes Vineyard, located in the Santa Rosa Plains neighborhood of Russian River Valley. the terrain is nearly level with moderately well-drained soils and a strongly cemented hardpan that varies from 12 to 26 inches down. The hardpan restricts the wines access to water so once the soil above dries out in early summer, moisture stress begins causing small clusters of small berries with intense flavors. All of the blocks at Janes Vineyard were hand-picked in the early morning hours, de-stemmed to stainless steel tanks for cold soaking, followed by fermentation with native yeasts for extra complexity. The wine was aged in 100% French oak barrels from the finest coopers, 21% new. This 2015 scored a Gold Medal 91 points in the Sommelier Challenge Competition, a Gold Medal 92 points in the Winemakers Challenge Competition, a Double Gold Medal in Dan Bergers International Wine Competition and 92 points in the Ultimate Wine Competition who called it "Excellent" and "Highly Recommended". They said "The medium pungent aromas offer berry fruit mixed with smokey earth. On the palate the fruit is both ripe and tart, creating a mouthwatering balance of flavors, all followed by roasted earth that culminates in a pleasant toasty finish."