Bouchaine’s 100-acre estate vineyard lies on the southern border of Napa Valley’s Carneros district, overlooking the San Francisco bay with the financial district in the distance. Fog, wind, and the cold nightime temperatures of this unique geographical area lend a distinctive regional identity to our Pinot Noir.

Growing Season
The growing season of 2022 will ultimately be defined by the 5-day heat wave we experienced in early September. Thankfully, our crop was ready to be harvested. The heat condensed the time frame of harvest and the winery filled up quickly. Prior to the heat, the growing season in Carneros was highlighted only by its cool breezes and morning fog. With all of these factors combined, Bouchaine was able to capture the fresh acidity we know and love, while also extracting velvety structure and depth of flavor in the wines.

Vinification
All fruit is hand-harvested at night, preserving berry integrity. After a 7-day cold soak, fruit is fermented with native yeast in open top tanks. The wine is then drawn off and the must is placed into a basket press for gentle pressing. All wines complete malolactic fermentation in French oak barrels. The vineyard blocks are kept separate for evaluation with the most intriguing blocks racked together in late Spring to assemble the finest expression of the Dijon clones from our estate. The blend is returned to barrel to allow the wine to marry before bottling.

Tasting Notes

 You may have met my sister (the Pommard clone) by now. What can I say; she’s flashy, juicy and lush. I know what they say about me, “She’s more reserved and mercurial, blah, blah, blah.” But give me time and once I unwind . . . watch out. Layers of dense dark fruit entwined with more spice than I know what to do with. Like I said, give me time . . . but don’t miss your chance.