Luxury Wines Born from the Devigorated Soils and Intense Wind of Western Carneros
Sonoma, CA (October 25, 2016) — This month, Freixenet USA unveils the first wine from its new luxury wine brand WindVane –an homage to the wind that contributes to the unique character of the wines of Western Carneros. 2014 WindVane Carneros Reserve Pinot Noir (SRP: $80) is the ultimate selection – a blend of Pinot Noir from some of the windiest and most devigorated vineyard blocks from throughout the east facing, 335-acres of estate vineyards located in one of the westernmost areas of the Carneros Appellation of Northern California. Only 100 cases of the WindVane Carneros Reserve Pinot Noir have been produced and will be available in select accounts in California and New York. In 2017, approximately 3,000 cases of WindVane Estate Grown Chardonnay and Pinot Noir will be released nationally.
Much like the flagship wines of Freixenet USA’s Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards, WindVane has not been in the making overnight. Steven Urberg, who also leads the winemaking for Gloria Ferrer, was given complete creative control to create WindVane. Urberg was intrigued by some of the windiest vineyard blocks on the 30 year-old Carneros estate where the stress from intense gusts coupled with the steepest, rockiest and thinnest soils, allow for slower ripening, intense flavor development and high levels of acidity in the grapes.
“I’ve been walking this vineyard for almost 20 years now. It’s just like the Pablo Picasso quote on WindVane’s back label, ‘The older you get the stronger the wind gets – and it’s always in your face,’” laughed Urberg. “The hills at the top of our vineyard form a tunnel, funneling the coastal winds from the Petaluma Gap and allowing them to pick up speed as they blow directly through our vineyard each afternoon. The wines from these blocks are very expressive with a depth of fruit and a generous mouthfeel. It was time to harness this wind in a new creative way.”
All grapes for the 2014 WindVane Reserve Pinot Noir were handpicked, destemmed, partially crushed and cold-soaked for two days in small open tanks to extract color and fruit flavors. Post fermentation, the wines was aged in a handful of select French oak barrels, 40 percent new, for nine months. The result is a Pinot Noir that balances plush dark fruit and a savory and complex mouthfeel, with elegance, subtle power and a firm backbone.
For more information about WindVane visit www.windvanewines.com.
