New Wine Company from the Second Generation of Lang & Reed Napa Valley releases first Pinot Noir – a co-ferment of three classic Burgundian clones
St. Helena, CA, August 29, 2023 – Rockhound Wine was launched earlier this year with a goal of producing exciting wines of unparalleled quality, unconstrained by preconceived notions or boundaries. Megan & Reed Skupny, the second generation of well-known winery Lang & Reed Napa Valley, just released the second wine in the company’s portfolio; a 2021 Pinot Noir ($90) sourced from Radian Vineyard, bordering the Rita’s Crown AVA, in the Sta. Rita Hills. A co-ferment of three different pinot noir clones (115, 667 and 777), this Burgundian trifecta maintains the structures and complexities for which they are prize while resulting in a harmonious blend. A ripe wine not for the faint of heart, 115 cases of Rockhound’s 2021 Pinot Noir were produced by winemaker Reed Skupny, who also leads the charge as head winemaker at Elyse Winery, Addax Wines, and Institution Winery.
In the glass, this wine exhibits deep, dark blue fruit notes, with hints of balsam and warm strawberries. The nose is quintessentially Pinot Noir, but instead of a light hearted comedy, it’s a film noir. Full-bodied, there are flavors of bramble berry pie with dark chocolate and coffee nibs on the finish. From winemaker Reed Skupny, “This wine is unique because we co-fermented three different classic Burgundian clones in the same tank. We did this to ensure silky smooth continuity with a hedonistic palate.” In warmer weather, this wine is ideally served slightly chilled, alongside a Niçoise salad, warm bread with heavily salted butter. Come winter, opt for braised lamb shanks with parmesan polenta.
With hot windy days and cold nights, the growing season in Sta. Rita Hills AVA is extremely long. The resulting grapes are complex yet fresh. The soil, low in nutrients with fantastic drainage, also supports the growth of intensely flavorful fruit.
The importance of vineyard soil is not overlooked by the Rockhound Wine team, with their brand name and label reflective of the beauty and power of geology. Rockhounding is the act of exploring nature to find rocks, minerals and fossils. The Rockhound Wine label is a microscopic view of diatomaceous earth, not unlike the soil in which their Pinot Noir was grown. Diatomaceous earth is essentially fossilized seabed flora and fauna, shaped and changed by millions of years of pressure and heat, that has been gracefully deposited on the hillsides of Radian Vineyard by the Pacific Plate tectonic movement over the eons.
Rockhound Wine’s 2021 Pinot Noir is now available at Lang & Reed Napa Valley’s tasting salon, Spring House, in St. Helena, CA. You can also purchase it here.
