Produced & Bottled by Sean W. McBride

We are very exicted to announce the release of our first set of Pinot Noir wines Produced & Bottled by Sean W. McBride, from four distinct blocks of three different vineyards and three very different appellations. So, without further ado, a little description of the wines that you can now find in our tasting room, select restaurants in New York, Florida, and California, and very shortly from our website.

2016 Gremlin Vineyard Los Carneros Sonoma County Pinot Noir --

Sourced from Lauri and Steve Busch's small vineyard surrounding their property outside the town of Sonoma. The property was purchased in 2014 and the Busch's began the difficult process of rehabilitating these very old vines -- we're not sure what the clones or the rootstocks are, but we sure can tell from the size of their monstrous trunks that the vines have been here longer than anyone else. The vineyard is now maintained sustainably, and we have become the sole producers of their grapes. The grapes were fully destemmed and fermented on native yeasts. We pressed entirely by hand, and racked to 33% new French oak barrels for the completion of malolactic. The wine spent 11 months in barrel prior to racking to steel and bottling unfined and unfiltered. What we love about this wine: its our most voluptuous and flamboyant of the 2016 vintage, with cherry cola and vanilla and a sweet clove note on the finish. Three barrels; 72 cases produced.

2016 Kim Giles Vineyard Napa Valley Pinot Noir --

Kim's vineyard overlooking San Pablo Bay is located southeast of Carneros on the road leading down to American Canyon, sort of in a no-man's land between the better known parts of Napa Valley, which is how we like it. The vineyard is actually just a mile down the road from our winery in the Crusher Wine District of Napa Valley. Kim grows Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and keeps bees on the property. We picked this vineyard ourselves, by hand, and partially destemmed the fruit to open top barrels for native primary fermentation. We pressed by hand, and racked to one single neutral French barrel for a natural malolactic fermentation. The wine aged for 11 months in barrel prior to racking to steel and bottling unfined and unfiltered. What we love about this wine: it has a crazy roast chicken and rosemary savory flavor to it, unlike anything else we produce. We think its the native yeast. One barrel and a quarter barrel; 34 cases produced.

2016 Filigreen Farm “The China Block” Anderson Valley Pinot Noir --

Sourced from the biodynamically farmed Filigreen Farm on the southwest flank of Anderson Valley, our selection of Pinot Noir is surrounded by the oldest stand of Chinese bamboo in the continental U.S. and is therefore named "The China Block." The 2016 vintage was fermented on native yeasts, with 50% whole clusters, and was pressed entirely by hand in our old hand-crank press. The wine completed malolactic fermentation naturally in barrel, and aged twelve months in French oak barrels, 20% new. We performed one racking to stainless steel for one month prior to bottling, unfined and unfiltered. What we love about this wine: the interplay and balance of blackberry acidity with sour cherry sweetness. Five barrels; 141 cases produced.

2016    Filigreen Farm “Old Saint George” Anderson Valley Pinot Noir --

Also sourced from the biodynamically farmed Filigreen Farm, the “Old Saint George” is selected especially from heritage clone Pinot Noir grafted onto 65-year-old Saint George rootstock. This block ripens more slowly than the rest of the vineyard, and produces wines of greater flavor sophistication and higher acidity. We fermented our one-half ton of the 2016 vintage on naturally occurring yeasts in open top neutral barrels, with 50% stem inclusion, and pressed entirely by hand. The wine aged in a single one-year old French barrel, and was racked to steel prior to bottling unfined, and unfiltered. What we love about this wine: everything, we just wish we had more! Wonderfully balanced with bright dark fruit notes. Our best Pinot of 2016. One barrel; 23 cases produced.