Wente Vineyards Riva Ranch Pinot Noir

Description

Wente Vineyards Riva Ranch Pinot Noir is a single vineyard red wine made in the Arroyo Seco AVA, an American Viticultural Area in Monterey County, California located to the south of Monterey Bay. It is Wente’s signature Pinot Noir wine. They also produce Wente Riva Ranch Chardonnay from the same vineyard.

Wente Vineyards was founded by C. H. Wente, a first-generation immigrant from Germany, in 1883. Recognizing that the warm days, cool nights and gravelly soils of the Livermore Valley were ideal for growing grapes, he purchased 48 acres and planted vineyards. Continuing the 125 years legacy, the winery is managed today by the Fourth Generation of the Wente family, Eric, Philip, Carolyn, and the Fifth Generation, Christine and Karl.

The Arroyo Seco AVA is widely regarded as one of the best places in California to grow Chardonnay and Riva Ranch is the name of the Wente family’s vineyard in Arroyo Seco, where they have been growing Chardonnay since the 1960’s. In 1936 Wente were, in fact, the first California winery to produce a wine actually labelled as Chardonnay and today many of the great Chardonnay vineyards in California are planted with the Wente’s own clone.

The Riva Ranch vineyard is perfect for growing Pinot Noir because of the long, cool growing season, which allows the grapes to fully ripen and develop deep fruit flavours. The gravelly-loam soils found here, rich with shale and limestone deposits, impart desirable earthy and mineral qualities to the wine. Wente have 8 different clones of Pinot Noir planted in the Riva Ranch vineyard – Pommard, Martini, 114, 115, 667, 777, 828, and 77 – these all lend particular characteristic, aromas and flavours to the the wine.

Wente Vineyards Riva Ranch Pinot Noir is fermented in small stainless steel tanks and pumped over twice daily to maximize the extraction of all the wonderful flavours, aromas, and textures. The wine is then aged for 11 months in 20% new French oak and 80% neutral oak barrels. The 2020 vintage is dominated by their heritage clones, Pommard and Martini (as well as clones 114, 115, 667, 777, 828, and 77). Pommard is especially fruit-driven providing bright lusciousness while Martini is more subtle with layered complexity on the nose and silky texture on the palate

Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.