Carneros della Notte
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During his nearly twenty year career Winemaker Sal Godinez has focused on research and experimentation with pinot noir clones that contribute to the complexity and intensity of these wines. Sal favors using French clones rather than classic American clones like Martini or Swan. Recognizing the importance of the impact of new clonal selections on wine aroma, texture and quality, Sal continuously works with clones to produce mature elegance and exceptional complexity.
Each year Sal begins in the vineyard. Engaged in viticulture and hands-on farming, he commits himself to the vines throughout the growing season, overseeing labor-intensive management such as shoot positioning to insure proper fruit exposure, rigorous crop thinning, precise irrigation and timely harvest. “I focus on preserving the flavors born in the vineyard,” said Sal. “I spend more and more of my time walking the vine rows — measuring, evaluating, tasting and planning the future of each individual lot.”
In the winery, Sal chooses his techniques to produce balanced, “fruit and spice based” wines with the structure and depth to age gracefully. His objective is to enhance, but not overshadow, the qualities of the grapes. “Each vineyard has its own personality, and I bring that to light.” Sal’s winemaking techniques vary on a lot-by-lot basis. Sal cold soaks his pinot noir, chilling the must prior to inoculation. He favors gentle handling, direct barreling after fermentation and racking the wines once to separate out the gross lees. Drawing from his favorite coopers, Sal frames the fruit character with complementary French oak barrels. Each year he purchases a large percentage of new French cooperage, replacing his barrels after two vintages. Both of these new releases are filtered using a cross flow filter system which he believes enhances the mouth feel of the wine.
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