Domaine de la Côte "Bloom's Field" Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills, 2017

The 2017 Vintage:

The winter of 2017 was punctuated by heavy rains in California. By the end of February, the Santa Rita Hills had fully emerged from a long drought that had characterized the last three vintages.

Spring ensued with mild and even temperatures bringing a typical bud break in early March. Flowering followed the first week of May and moderate temperatures remained until veraison – with only a few days of the summer exceeding the mid-eighties. Our harvest began with the Pied de Cuve on August 21.

The main harvest started on August 25th - about a week later than in 2016 - and concluded on September 2nd. We narrowly escaped the heat spikes of early September that dictated the vintage for much of our region.

In the winery, we continued with our practice of implementing a Pied de Cuve - a traditional, though oft-forgotten winemaking technique useful in cultivating native yeasts and a healthy spontaneous fermentation. Thereafter, we filled our open-top concrete tanks with whole bunches, fermented the wine until dryness and gently pressed the skins. After a short settling of the new wine, the wines were moved to barrels, all from a single cooper, Tonnellerie Ermitage, for fourteen months of elevage before bottling with no fining or filtration.

This Special Wine:

Bloom’s Field is our tightrope act—a delicate balance of brambly fruit and geranium. Its bouquet threads aromas of tarragon and sage amidst rose hips and plum. On the palate, its concentration is equally matched by its tensile frame. Bloom’s Field continues to be our most savory and ethereal wine, poised to further unwind with each minute in the glass – and each year in bottle.

Alongside Memorious downslope, Bloom’s Field spans the southwest-facing hillside that delineates the windward edge of our domaine. The Monterey Shale bedrock of Memorious is prevalent here, too, however the clay top soils of Bloom’s Field are lighter in color and texture, particularly as the vineyard climbs the slope. Here, our heritage selections of Pinot Noir - Calera, Swan, and Mount Eden - are planted in alternating rows, providing an elucidating way to observe communication across a genetically diverse vineyard.