2018 Solitaire Pinot Noir
and so it continues...
SOLITAIRE 2018 – ONE BIG BARREL
Single Vineyard, Single Clone, Single Barrel – MonoClone®
Learning from the best in Chambolle
On our last visit to Burgundy, Don and I were privileged to spend time with Francois Bertheau, who has been a great favorite of mine for crafting the most elegant and complex Chambolle, especially his Bonnes Mares. This was a long day of great food and extraordinary wines, but the most compelling memory was the tasting of the 2007 vintage in barrels, which were simply intoxicating. Francois was especially generous with his time as we had a thousand questions and he revealed without hesitation what he believes makes his wines so compelling. One of the key component is that Francois will use large 600 liter barrels from a specific forest and tonnellerie (cooperage). He also extends the aging to allow for the wine to develop exotic aromatics and to round the shoulders, creating wines of great complexity, lace, and silk.
We took note. Years later, Don and I still speak of that magical day that was truly an epiphany for us, especially after we opened some of the 2007 Bonnes Mares and Les Amoureuses that we were so fortunate to taste in barrel and enjoyed once bottled. Simply put, they are why we make Pinot Noir.
In 2018 as the planets aligned, we decided that the time was right to put that “Bertheau” philosophy to the test. From the vineyard nestled in the redwood forest, we selected the very best grapes through multiple passes at harvest and with 50% whole cluster fermentation. We aged the wine in ONE 600 liter barrel, with this vintage we felt we it could age for an extended time…we waited, AND WAITED…for 28 Months…to create SOLITAIRE.
There are very few times one can feel truly lucky and privileged that their craft can stand along with the very best. SOLITAIRE confirms all of our expectations and embodies our commitment and passion to craft compelling Pinot Noirs. SOLITAIRE originates from humble admiration of the magnificent, peerless wines of BERTHEAU and we thank Francois for showing us the way.
SOLITAIRE is simply magical, if you have the chance to taste this wine blind next to a Bonnes Mares Grand Cru from Bertheau, it will be quite a day!!!! I simply can not believe how amazing the similitudes are, especially being from opposite side of the world. Our goals have always focused on being in the conversation with Great Burgundies and SOLITAIRE is the reward – anything else for us is simply not acceptable. Some may feel that it is presumptuous of us to even declare such ideas, others, closer to us hint it is just madness…obsession.
We could tell you so much more about this fascinating wine, the magnificent vineyard, steep slope in the middle of the redwoods, just a few rows lost in the fog, the commitment to pick over multiple days in the middle of the night to gather the very best clusters, the search for the perfect barrel, but the best part will be in the glass, when you really taste this wine.
When we opened the first bottle the other night over one of our legendary dinners next to a 2007 Bertheau Bonnes Mares, we were speechless and a little confused of which one was in which glass. I thought that I may have switched the glasses in error. Then we smiled, we smiled a lot. Since SOLITAIRE was born from One 600 liter barrel and we also believe that this Pinot Noir will age magnificently, we also decided that we would bottle many Magnums. Big barrel. Big bottles, makes sense to us.
In Burgundy, a winemaker may reserve a special barrel for friends and family. They call this barrel Soliste. SOLITAIRE defines the origin and the promise of Soliste. From one barrel only 52 cases of 750s and 78 Magnums of Solitaire were produced. Although it hurts to part with so few bottles, sharing this special release with you, the very few that have been loyal supporters of our journey, fills us with joy and pride.
SOLITAIRE ….. ENIGMATIC GRACE OF MUSIGNY
2018 Solitaire Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast
Tasting Notes
Le Regard / The Look
Classic Purity in the glass, flawless ruby luminosity with weight and silkiness. The Robe is the perfect representation of the elegance of Pinot Noir.
Le Nez / The Nose
Intoxicating, sexy perfumes of Japanese red plum compote spiced with cinnamon, oriental tea, violets, fennel tops, and white pepper. As the wine evolves, the aromas become voluptuous and sweet. Blueberries and boysenberry compote layered with floral notes and mushroom forest floor awaken the senses to an olfactory crescendo rarely experienced.
Degustation / The Taste
The front palate is beautifully perfumed and infused with refined layers of blueberries, wild strawberries, red plums, raspberries, all spiked with high tones of minerals, graphite, rose petals, violets, and floral lift. This is a remarkable wine, very reminiscent to the great wines of Vosne Romanée, Richebourg, Romanée St Vivant, showing opulence, texture and a myriad of exotic flavors. The secondary and mid palate are all about creaminess that envelops the mouth with vanilla-infused red currants, red cherries, crushed stone, and autumnal woodlands. It is medium-bodied with complete harmony, and every flavor is amazingly well defined, you can pick each, one by one. As the wine opens up, the evidence is crystal clear, this is a rarity; it is now full-bodied, ample and rich, structured around fine-grained chalky tannins with a deep multidimensional core and precise underlying acid completing the wine into a world of nuances.
Of all the Soliste Pinot Noir, Solitaire 2018 is the closest that I have tasted to a Grand Cru from Vosne. Is it the vintage, is it the experience, is it that the planets aligned? I am afraid to say that we will never know, but please don’t let it be the last one.
Solitaire, 2018…Memories of Vosne Romanée...