At the table with Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023
Five-spice glazed duck, venison fillet with lingonberries, roast pigeon with a rich jus, veal chop with morels, aged Époisses.
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Let's talk little, let's talk wine
Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023DuMOL
This cuvée comes from the estate vineyard, located in the Russian River Valley appellation, in Sonoma County, California, in the heart of the cool Green Valley sector. Fog from the Pacific cools the nights here and lengthens ripening. The vines, around twenty years old, are reaching full maturity, and the late, cool 2023 vintage allowed them to express their full potential, with remarkable concentration and purity.
The grapes, from Calera and Swan clones, were harvested on 14 and 22 September. After careful vinification, the wine is aged for 15 months in French oak barrels, 37% of them new, in order to preserve the density of the fruit while refining the tannic structure.
This wine reveals notes of black cherry, blackcurrant, blackberry, hibiscus, dried herbs, cedar, Asian spices and graphite. Dark, intense and pure, the bouquet opens up and gains depth with aeration. The palate, concentrated and linear at first, becomes broad and layered, with dense flesh, smooth tannins and a marked mineral acidity that carry a crescendo finish.
Where are we traveling?
CaliforniaUnited States
While all 50 American states produce wine, California alone accounts for around 85% of the country's output, making the state the world's 4th-largest producer behind Italy, France and Spain. The climate is strongly influenced by the Pacific Ocean, which at this latitude is a cold ocean. Wine regions close to the Pacific have an oceanic climate that becomes Mediterranean the further inland you go, and more continental near the Sierra Nevada. Bays and openings to the sea, such as San Pablo Bay, act as thermal regulators for viticulture, particularly in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys.
The sub-region: Lodi
The Lodi wine area lies directly east of San Francisco Bay. Although it is quite far from the coast (the Pacific is 115 km to the west), Lodi enjoys a Mediterranean climate that is milder than you might expect for an inland location. This is due to the many rivers that cross the region and the creeks, estuaries and bays into which they flow. The parts of the region closer to the ocean are noticeably cooler, although most of Lodi enjoys warm days and lends itself to producing reds with concentrated flavour.
The little history of the country
United States
In the United States, 90% of the wine produced comes from California. It was the influx of gold prospectors to California that boosted the California wine industry in the mid-19th century, particularly in the Sonoma and Napa region. At the start of the 20th century, there were 800 wineries. From 1919 to 1933 Prohibition destroyed the vast majority of the California wine industry so that by 1933, only 140 wineries remained producing wine. It was only from 1960 that the wine industry began to recover from Prohibition and California was primarily known for the production of fortified wines (in the style of Port). It was also in the 1960s that some of the most famous estates were created (Mondavi, Heitz Wine Cellars, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, etc...).
In 1976, a significant event took place: the legendary tasting competition better known as the "Judgment of Paris". He sees the greatest French wines opposing the new American wines. This May 24, an unexpected result shakes the world of wine, since to everyone's surprise, it is the United States which wins. However, this competition remains relatively unknown to the general public.
Today, there is no doubt that the United States produces great wines. Even though California largely monopolizes the reputation of American wines with its excellent Zinfandels, the state of Oregon produces some of the best Pinot Noir in the world and the state of Washington offers excellent Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet-Sauvignon.