Uncaged

WINEMAKER’S NOTE

This lush and layered Pinot Noir is overflowing with intense aromas of black cherry, vanilla and toasty oak. Smooth with supple tannins, robust flavors of fresh raspberry jam and strawberry are complemented by silky underpinnings of rich mocha and caramel. Jammy and voluminous, rich juicy ripe fruit lingers on through the finish.

VINTAGE

A cool start to the season brought on slow, even ripening. Warm days followed with very few heat spikes allowing the grapes to ripen while maintaining bright, fresh, clean fruit flavors. A majority of these grapes were sourced from Santa Lucia Highlands AVA of Monterey County. Here, the cooler temperatures make for bright red fruit flavors and well-structured tannins. A small portion of blend is sourced from the warmer climates in Los Carneros and Napa Valley, contributing lush, jammy berry flavors with depth and complexity.  We chose our harvest dates to optimize each vineyard’s best state of ripeness and produce a delicious, layered and balanced wine.

WINEMAKING

Throughout the growing season, we visited each vineyard block regularly. The fruit for Z. Alexander Brown was harvested during the cool early morning hours to ensure that the concentrated fruit flavors were captured at the peak of ripeness. Upon arrival at the winery, the grapes were de-stemmed into stainless steel fermenters from 24 to 48-hours cold soak to extract color from the skins and enhance the delicate berry flavors. Following the completion of primary fermentation, the wine was gently pressed and clean racked into a selection of French and American oak barrels and elevage tanks where the wines underwent secondary malolactic fermentation. After several months of aging, the final cuvée was blended featuring a selection of the best lots of the vintage.