We value the Rosella's Vineyard for its consistently excellent quality Chardonnay and Pinot Noir fruit.
Rosella's Vineyard
Located about three miles south of Morgan's Double L Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands, Rosella's is planted to several Dijon clones, and is one of the top vineyards of the appellation. The site is a bit warmer than Double L. Rosella's Vineyard is planted with a density of 1089 plants per acre. The 2006 vintage is Morgan's seventh bottling of Rosella's Vineyard Pinot Noir.
The Vintage
The 2006 vintage started late and ran about a month later than normal, due to a cold, wet spring that delayed the fruit set. The summer weather was typical for the region. The Pinot Noir harvest eventually finished in late October, with average crop loads showing intensely flavored fruit that retained much of its natural acidity.
Vinification and Aging
The grapes are completely de-stemmed. Fermentation, most of which is whole-berry, is in open top fermenters with manual punch down for optimum extraction and structure with soft tannins. The wine's clonal makeup is 65% of clone 777, 22% of Dijon clone 115, & 13% from the Pisoni clone. After fermentation, the wine is transferred to a combination of medium and medium plus toast Burgundy barrels, 50% of which are new, for malo-lactic fermentation and 11 months of aging.
Aromas, Flavors, and Palate Impressions
The wine shows a medium-deep color. On the nose, the wine shows cranberry, cherry, white chocolate, nutmeg, leather, vanilla and a suggestion of peppermint. On the palate, the wine shows additional notes of blackberry and white pepper.
Reviews
Four+ stars, Restaurant Wine, Issue 127
