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Wine Details
Price:
Description:
The 2002 Pinot Noir Reserve may be the finest Pinot Noir ever produced at Elk Cove Vineyards. This label is held in the highest regard at Elk Cove and only used when a truly unique vintage and barrel blend warrant it. A blend of a select few vineyards, this eight-barrel lot was crafted to highlight the deep ruby color and concentrated rich ripe black cherry flavors. These intertwine with a pleasant note of cocoa and exotic spices on the palate.
After a long growing season, picking in mid- to late October, the grapes were harvested at peak ripeness. Severe pruning, shoot thinning and green harvesting techniques were employed to hold yields to 1.8 tons per acre. Intense work in the vineyard allowed for a very “hands-off” approach in the winery. The Pinot Noir Reserve was aged in the finest quality three-year air-dried French oak barrels (Rousseau & François Frères), consisting of 75% new oak. All Elk Cove Pinot Noirs are bottled unfined and unfiltered.
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Varietal Definition
Pinot Noir:
The name is derived from the French words for ‘pine’ and ‘black’ alluding to the varietals' tightly clustered dark purple pine cone shaped bunches of fruit. Pinot Noir grapes are grown around the world, mostly in the cooler regions, but the grape is chiefly associated with the Burgundy region of France. It is widely considered to produce some of the finest wines in the world, but is a difficult variety to cultivate and transform into wine. By volume most Pinot Noir in America is grown in California with Oregon coming in second. Other regions are Washington State and New York.During 2004 and the beginning of 2005, Pinot Noir became considerably more popular amongst consumers in the United States, possibly because of the movie Sideways. Being lighter in style, it has benefited from a trend toward more restrained, less alcoholic wines. It is the delicate, subtle, complex and elegant nature of this wine that encourages growers and winemakers to cultivate this difficult grape. Robert Parker has described Pinot Noir: "When it's great, Pinot Noir produces the most complex, hedonistic, and remarkably thrilling red wine in the world."
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