Saxon Brown Jasper Freestone Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2021 Red Wine

Saxon Brown Jasper Freestone Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2021 

750 ml

95 pts. Jeb Dunnuck:

"A ripe ruby color with magenta highlights, the 2021 Pinot Noir Jasper Freestone Vineyard offers some darker notes of pine, wild raspberries, violets, and wet stone. It has more nervous energy and tension, coming as it does from a cooler coastal site (which results in thicker skins), so it’s going to need time to show its best. Drink 2025-2040."

95 pts. Wine Enthusiast, "Editors' Choice":

"Aromas of dark berry, spiced cherry, crushed herb and purple flowers highlight the nose of this exotic cool climate Pinot. The palate brings the savory, energetic freshness of macerated Bing cherry, black tea, baking cocoa and lilacs, with a finish that balances between grippy tannin and juicy acidity for nearly a minute." 

94 pts. James Suckling:

"This is from the extreme Sonoma Coast near the Pacific, and shows the intensity, structure and depth of the terroir. It starts with fragrant flowers and wild berries, then nicely firm tannins and great acidity give a linear, fresh texture, carrying the deep black cherries, cassis star anise flavors. Great concentration will help it age beautifully. Full-bodied and lively with acidity. Drink now or hold."

93 pts. Wine Spectator:

"Juicy and fresh, with a lively beam of mulberry and red currant preserves that stretches out over singed mesquite, vanilla and black tea notes on the polished finish. Drink now through 2031. 117 cases made."

This is Saxon Brown winemaker/owner Jeff Gaffner's first vintage of this particular vineyard for his own label. He definitely knocked it out of the park! The Jaspar Freestone vineyard is very close to the ocean, sitting on highly-regarded Gold Ridge soil. This Pinot is a bit lighter-bodied than other Saxon Brown Sonoma Coast Pinots, but still chock-full of lovely Pinot Noir flavors! In one word, it's a very "classy" wine! - Wine Factor

FROM THE WINERY

Vineyard: 

This is our first bottling from an exciting new vineyard that I’ve had the good fortune to be involved with from the ground up. Named for its original owner and one of California’s most consequential early settlers, Jasper O’Farrell, the Jasper Freestone Vineyard was planted in 2015 by my winemaking clients Tom and Rebecca Birdsall, owners of Black Kite Cellars. The small 8-acre plot is part of a sprawling 200-acre coastal ranch located just outside the town of Freestone. The windswept site, tucked at the base of west-facing hills, and planted to coveted Goldridge soils is just four miles from the ocean, making it “true” Sonoma Coast – and as fine a site as you will find for growing cool climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In 2021, the site’s naturally long hangtime and even ripening was amplified by the long, moderate growing season, resulting in profoundly expressive Pinot Noir.

Winemaking:

In keeping with our site-specific focus, we employ similar winemaking techniques for each of our Pinots, so that the individual character of the vineyard is what truly distinguishes each bottling. Grapes for our 2021 Jasper Freestone Vineyard Pinot Noir were harvested in the early morning and transported immediately to the winery, where they were de-stemmed into small open top tanks for three days of cold soak at approximately 45F. After the must warmed and started fermentation, it was inoculated with a low rate of Burgundian yeast and punched down three – five times daily. Once fermentation was complete, the wine was pressed to 50% new French oak for a total of 18 months in barrel. The wine was bottled unfiltered and unfined.

Tasting Notes:

2021 marks my third vintage making wine from this young Sonoma Coast vineyard and my first producing a bottling for Saxon Brown. The vineyard is among the most exciting I’ve worked with and our inaugural 2021 Jasper Freestone Pinot Noir is my most personal interpretation of the site. The wine’s depth and complexity is immediately apparent by its captivating aromatics that unfurl in waves of Bing cherry, boysenberry, raspberry, and pomegranate nuanced by hints of floral, clove, and sweet pipe tobacco. The palate is supple and generous with a weightiness that belies the vineyard’s youth, offering a core of lush fruit, buoyed by bright acidity that persists through the very long, spice-tinged finish. Enjoy upon release or hold for up to 15 years.

Case Production: 118 cases

Harvested: September 29, 2021

Brix at Harvest: 23.9

Clone: Calera, Pommard, 828

Aging: 17mos, 50% new French oak

Bottled: March 10, 2023

Alc: 14.1

TA: 6.4

pH: 3.3