Belle Glos Pinot Noir Balade

The word "Balade", French for "Wandering," is a fitting term for Belle GLos' annual exploration of single-vineyard pinot noir tracts on the west coast. As such, each vintage is very limited.For instance, during the 2021 growing season, one vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills AVA captivated the winemakers with its lovely fruit flavors, vibrant acidity, gorgeous color, and amazing complexity. They harvested early in the morning so the fruit would arrive at the winery while the grapes were still cool to preserve their vineyard-fresh flavors. After destemming (but not crushing) the berries, the winemakers cold-soaked the must for 14 days to soften the skins and allow for ideal extraction. During fermentation in a combination of closed and open-top stainless steel fermenters, the winemakers used both punch-down and pump-over techniques to extract color and phenolics. The wine is aged in 100% French oak (60% new) for up to 12 months. After the wine underwent malolactic fermentation, winemakers racked it twice before bottling. The final product is this lush, luxurious Pinot Noir that begins with hearty aromas of baked black cherry, clove, nutmeg and smoke on the nose. There is undeniable power on the palate yet also some finesse, presenting flavors of black cherry laced with mace as layered tannins and acidity carry through the finish. Sublime.