Pinot Noir, "Noiro"

TheSommeliers’Sommelier.
•
ArtisanWines,NoiroPinotNoir
• AGregoryCondesexclusivewinefromtopvineyardsinSLH
• Incredibleopportunityforrestaurantstoofferawineofthiscaliberby-the-glass
DerekRohlffs’balancedwinemakingstylereflectshisclassicapproachmodeledafterReeseandLarfarge
TheProducer
ArtisanWinesoffersbalanced,flavorfulandwell-pricedwinesthat
makeanyoccasionmorefestive.Withdistinctivepackingandclever
names,thewinesincludeWhiteWeddingProprietaryWhiteand
LuckyRedBlend.ProprietorandwinemakerDerekRohlffsis
recognizedasoneofnorthernCalifornia’snewrisingstar
winemakersforhissinglevineyardBraviumwinesaswellasthevery
successfulArtisanline.
ThroughhisCherokeeancestryandCaliforniaupbringing,Derekwas
drawntonaturesincechildhood.Hepursuedthispassionin
college,graduatingin1993withhonorsfromtheprestigious
EnvironmentalStudiesprogramatUCSB.Whilehisdegreewasa
greatfoundationforwinemaking,itwasn’tuntilseveralyearslater
thathewouldfindhiscalling.
TheWine
TomakethisexclusivebottlingforGregoryCondesWines,Derek
RohlffssourcedfruitfromsomeofthebestvineyardsinSanta
LuciaHighlands–includingRosellasVineyard,ownedbyGary
Franscioni.Thegrowingseasonhereisoneofthelongestin
California,allowingforfullflavordevelopmentonthevine.
GregoryCondesselectedtheblendthatbestcapturedvarietal
andplace,withanelegance,subtlenessoffruitandvibrancythat
usuallycostsdoubleormore.
Raisingmoneyforcharitiesultimatelyprovidedthespark.At
fundraisers,Derekhadtheopportunitytotastemanygreatwines.
Hebecamefascinatedbywine’smanyfacets,includinggeography,
agricultureandchemistry,andfoundmanyparallelstohis
environmentalstudies.Eagertolearnmore,hetookastintata
wineshopthatfeaturedtastingswithgreatproducers.The
experienceignitedhisdesiretomakewinehimself.
Oncehebeganwinemakingin2000,Derekprovedtobeanatural.
Within5years,hehaddevelopedprivatelabelwinesforfamous
chefsaswellashisownbrandsofvaluewines,severalofwhich
becamebestsellersofonlineretailers.Theseprojectswouldserve
asfundingforhisultimateambition—Bravium’sterroir-drivenwines
fromgreatNorthernCaliforniavineyards—whichlaunchedin2007.
ForhisArtisanWines,Derekselectsfruitwithgreatbalanceand
flavorthatcanbemadeintoaffordableandthoroughlyenjoyable
wines.NearlyallofthefruitcomesfromNapaValley.
Forhiswinemakingstyle,Derektakesinspirationfromthegreat
wineriesofItalyandFrance,suchasDomaineTempier,aswellas
JeffBrinkman,theesteemedwinemakeratRhysVineyards.
Winemakingisfocusedonthevineyard;inthecellar,lessismore.
ForPinots,nofiningorfiltering,toallowthesourcefruittoremain
attheforefront,vinetobottle.AndforChardonnay,wholecluster
pressingwithpartialornomalolacticfermentationdelivers
aromaticsandfreshness.TheArtisanwinesareblendedtoensure
consistentqualityfromyeartoyear.
BraviumislocatedonTreasureIsland,inthemiddleofSanFrancisco
Bay.ThenameBravium(Latinfor“reward,prizeorgift”)dovetails
withDerek’sSip&Giveprogramthatdonatesaportionofwinesales
toworthycharitiesselectedbycustomers.
Appellation:SantaLuciaHighlands
Varietal:100%PinotNoir
Vinification:WholeclusterPinotNoirwaslightlypressedupon
arrivalatthewinery.Spontaneousfermentationsinitiatedina
combinationofoakandstainlesssteelfermenters,followedby
gravityrackingtonewandneutralFrenchoakbarrelsfor
malolacticfermentation.
Aging:14monthsofgentleagingbeforeassemblage.
TastingNotes:Brilliantrubyredcolorandveryexoticaromasof
damsonplum,potpourri,vanilla,orangepeel,andmullingspices.
Aburstofripecherryfruitleadstosecondaryflavorsofraspberry
andstrawberry,framedbyadeliciouspumpkinpiespicenote.
Decidedlymedium-bodied,withalushmouthfeel,fine-grained
tannins,andfreshacidity.Themanylayersofthisrichwine
emergeindependently,thenrefocus,leadingtoalingering,
succulentfinish.
Weprovidegreatrestaurantsandretailerswithwinestheyareproudtoserveandkeeptheirguestscomingbackformore.
www.gcondeswines.com