David Bruce Pinot Noir Sonoma County 2015

ABV 14.5%

Region
Sonoma County, California, is one of the most important winegrowing regions in the whole of the United States. Vines have been planted here since the 1850s and, apart from the inevitable hiatus brought about by Prohibition, the county`s relationship with wine has been prolific and unbroken. Sonoma Valley is located in the county`s southeastern corner, and effectively mirrors the shape and orientation of Napa Valley just across the Mayacamas Mountains. It encompasses Bennett Valley, Sonoma Mountain and the western half of Carneros – arguably California`s finest "cool-climate" terroir. The Sonoma Valley climate is famously blessed with cooling fog, which rolls in from San Pablo Bay in the summer months. When combined with cooling ocean breezes, this means that Sonoma Valley is sufficiently cool yet sufficiently sunny to create wines which are elegant, bright and intensley flavoured.

Producer
The David Bruce winery was established in the early 1960s and was one of the first pioneering wineries of the region to lead a modern resurgence of premium winemaking. David Bruce purchased land above the fogline in the Santa Cruz mountains after completing his medical residency and set about clearing and planting the vineyard by hand. For 25 years, he divided his time between the vineyard and his dermatology practice until 1985 when he retired from medicine in order to focus on the vineyard. David Bruce Winery was one of the 12 Californian wineries to participate in the now famous 1976 `Judgment of Paris` in which California Cabernets and Chardonnays outscored French Bordeaux and Burgundies in a blind tasting. Today, the David Bruce Winery has 16 acres, 9 of them focus solely on Pinot Noir.

Tasting Notes
Barrel fermented and aged for 16 months in French and Hungarian oak. This wine is a ruby red in colour with notes of dark cherries, plums and mulberries on the nose. The palate is medium bodied with dark fruits with a core of spices and a mineral character. Very long on the finish.

Food
Serve with honey glazed ham or a lentil curry.