Benziger
Family Winery
 |
Benziger
Pinot Noir
Benziger Family Winery, Sonoma County
GRAPE VARIETY: 100% Pinot Noir
ALCOHOL: 13.4%-14.3%
TOTAL ACIDITY: .50-.55
pH: 3.60-3.75
RESIDUAL SUGAR: .05-.1 |
The Benziger Family believes
that the nature of great wine lies in vineyard character, winemaker artistry and
family passion. At Benziger this means farming and vinifying select vineyards
to mine the unique personality of each, winemaking that combines intuition and
artistry with minimal intervention and a pervading family passion. In its quest
for uniqueness through diversity, each year the family produces over 300 lots
of grapes from over 60 ranches in over a dozen appellations.
Benziger's philosophy in its range of wines is to find the best vineyards lots
which represent the true spectrum of flavor a given vintage has to offer. Because
of this, the vineyards, and sometimes the appellation, may change from one growing
season to the next. Grapes are sourced from a variety of vineyards from one harvest
to the next, including the Sangiacomo and Ricci Vineyards in Carneros; Horn Vineyard
in Sonoma Valley; the Preston, Russian River and Sterling Vineyards in the Alexander
Valley; the Fairview, Sterling, Little, Alta Vista and Blue Rock Vineyards in
Sonoma County; and the Bien Nacido Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley. The cool-climate
location of these vineyards allows the grapes the hang-time necessary to develop
optimum fruit development.
The lots of grapes are culled from each vineyard and the majority cold soaked
for two to three days to extract maximum flavor with minimum tannin. Each lot
is individually fermented in closed-top fermenters over a period of 12 to 20 days
at temperatures between 80° and 95°F. The vats are pumped over two to three times
daily during fermentation. The wine is the aged in American and French oak for
15 to 18 months. In the summer following the vintage, a base blend representing
slightly more than half of the final blend is racked, blended and returned to
barrel until final assemblage the following spring. This approach allows the wine
to marry in the cellar and lengthens the blending process to ensure only wines
beneficial to the overall blend are incorporated.
Benziger Pinot Noir is marked by aromas of cherry and black plum which give way
to flavors of black cherry, chocolate and dried herb with subtle oak notes. The
wine shows a rich middle mouthfeel, a silky texture, chalky tannins and a long,
creamy finish.
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Malibu, California 90265
(310) 456·7151
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