Cakebread Cellars Two Creeks Vineyards Anderson Valley Pinot Noir 2023 Red Wine

Cakebread Cellars Two Creeks Vineyards Anderson Valley Pinot Noir 2023 

750 ml

93 pts. James Suckling:

"Bright and lifted aromas of blackberries, dark cherries, wet bark and violets. The palate is medium-bodied with bright acidity and finely integrated tannins, giving flavors of raspberries, blueberries, baking spices and cedar. There is lovely freshness and purity. Drink or hold."

Cakebread has been a highly respected winery in Napa for a very long time. Like all the wines they produce, their Anderson Valley Pinot Noirs are outstanding. We absolutely LOVE the 2023 Two Creeks! It has all the nuances we look for in a good Anderson Valley Pinot - subtle redwood forest on the nose, with soft fruit, earth, and spices on the palate. This is a melt-in-your-mouth wine! - Wine Factor

FROM THE WINERY

Two Creeks Pinot Noir blends grapes from the Annahala and Apple Barn Estate vineyards in Mendocino County’s Anderson Valley, an appellation renowned for its superb Pinots. Proximity to the Pacific Ocean has a dramatic cooling effect that promotes slow, even ripening. Closer to the coast and sheltered by trees, Annahala is the cooler and foggier vineyard, while Apple Barn is more exposed and enjoys warmer afternoons; both sites share an overlapping mix of nine superior Pinot Noir clones. Grapes were harvested at night to preserve freshness, then hand-sorted and de-stemmed into small open-top tanks for a cold-soak. Fermentation was initiated by native yeasts from the vineyard and completed after inoculation with a cultured yeast strain. Each of 16 vineyard block lots fermented separately, with a small percentage of stems to add spice and complexity. After fermentation, the free-run juice was transferred to French oak barrels, 35% new, for three months before blending. The blended wine aged another ten months in barrel before bottling.

HARVEST NOTE

Ample rainfall early in 2023 replenished vineyard soils and allowed healthy, balanced vine development throughout an extended growing season. Even summer warmth allowed clusters to ripen slowly and consistently, developing an intensity of flavors and fresh acidity. Before August’s harvest, warm, sunny afternoons and cool evenings let grapes develop an expressive and concentrated range of aromas and flavors.

TASTING NOTE

Aromas of fresh raspberries and delicate floral notes on the nose. On the palate, it is a medium-bodied wine offering delightful flavors of strawberries and black cherries. Hints of spice and sweet toasty oak enhance the bright berry finish. Its balanced acidity integrates smoothly with silky tannins, leaving a lingering, rounded sensation in the mouth.

TECHNICAL DATA

GRAPES: 100% Pinot Noir

APPELLATION: Anderson Valley

PH: 3.66

ACIDITY: .52 g/100ml

ABV: 14.2%

AGING: 10 months 35% new French oak barrels