This month, we unveiled the debut vintage of our EnRoute Russian River Valley Single-Vineyard Pinot Noir: the 2013 EnRoute Amber Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir and the 2013 EnRoute Northern Spy Vineyard Pinot Noir! These two vineyards comprise the backbone of our flagship Russian River Valley wine, the EnRoute Pinot Noir Les Pommiers, but they also make exceptional stand-alone wines.
Club members were the first to be offered these exciting new wines (we invite you to read more about our EnRoute Pinot Noir Club, here).To learn more about the inspiration behind their creation, read on!
Although we farm several vineyards across the Russian River Valley, Amber Ridge and Northern Spy consistently stand out for their beautiful expression of site. And, they bring very different qualities to the finished blend of EnRoute’s Les Pommiers. With each vintage, we work with specific blocks within both vineyards, carefully selecting lots that best harmonize with each other, those that are often more interesting and nuanced as part of a blend than they are as single lots. Or, as we jokingly say, those that “play nicely with others.”
Over the years, however, we have noticed that our Amber Ridge and Northern Spy vineyards always have a few star barrels. These individual lots always seem to stand out, to show particular intensity and character and uniquely express the vineyards’ individual personalities. In 2013, we decided to show off these stand-alone parcels; we selected a few barrels each from Amber Ridge and Northern Spy and bottled them as single-vineyard Pinot Noirs.
Although we just released the first vintage of EnRoute Russian River Valley Single-Vineyard Pinot Noirs to our wine club members this month, they’re already showing elegance and depth. We can’t wait to see – and taste! – how they will evolve.
