New Release 2020 Pinot Noir - Senchuk ⭐ 94 points Decanter

2020 is the sixth vintage of our flagship Pinot Noir from our estate Senchuk Vineyard, and certainly the richest, and most full-bodied so far. The 2020 was a phenomenal growing season, with warmth and sunshine throughout. Things cooled down perfectly in the fall and remained essentially sunny and dry with only a few (needed) rain events. As a result the grapes from Senchuk Vineyard were amazingly balanced, fully phenolic ripeness, yet with great freshness and acidity, moderate alcohol and tannic structure for which our vineyard has become known.

Hand-picked and hand-sorted on September 23rd , the grapes were partly de-stemmed (70% destemmed, 30% whole-cluster), partially crushed and left to soak on skins prior to fermentation. After 3 days, fermentation occurred spontaneously in concrete fermenters. During fermentation, the skins were punched-down by hand 2 times per day. Once fermentation was finished, the wine remained on skins for 5 days before being gently pressed. It was then transferred to French oak barrels (33% new, 16% 1-year-old, 51% older) and aged for 18 months. The 2020 Senchuk Pinot Noir was bottled on August 30, 2022.