2012 La Cuillere "Member's Reserve" Pinot Noir

Vintage 2012 

The last four vintages have all had late starts, and 2012 was no exception. Spring brought us warmer and dryer weeks than we had expected. Despite record rain in March, the summer was dry, and temperatures reached the 100° in early August. Warm east winds desiccated the ripening fruit throughout September and October, causing us to have smaller than usual clusters and berries. The grapes did have higher sugars levels, the flavors were darker, and the tannins were not consistently ripe.    

2014 Winemaker's notes

The fruity and powerful 2012 “La Cuillère” (which means 'the spoon' in French), is a thick, volumptuous wine full of dark cherries, blackberries, with a bit of heat and rawness around the edges. Silky tannins and a long finish leave this wine in your memory for the rest of the night. Decant to drink now, or cellar for a few years. It'll only get better with time.