2020 DIERBERG PINOT NOIR, DRUM CANYON VINEYARD
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Vintage
2020
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Appellation
Sta. Rita Hils
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Varietal
Pinot Noir
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Vineyard Designation
Drum Canyon
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Harvest Date
September 2020
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Aging
15 months in 100% French oak; 35% new
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Bottling Date
December 2021
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Alcohol
13.9%
"Spiced black cherries, mulberries, leafy herbs, earth, and a touch of scorched earth nuances all emerge from the 2020 Pinot Noir Drum Canyon Vineyard Hillside, another broad, layered, concentrated, and incredibly impressive Pinot Noir from this estate. It brings a touch more density and depth compared to the 2021 Drum Canyon release, but both are gorgeous wines. The 2020 was the first year where the wine was completely destemmed as Tyler felt they didn’t need any additional structure. Aged 15 months in 35% new French oak, this flagship release will keep for 10-12 years and is a brilliant Pinot Noir." 94pts - Jeb Dunnuck, 8/30/2022
Production Notes
The 2020 vintage in Drum Canyon was marked by a normal growing season with two exceptional heat spikes. We learned from the 2017 vintage and let the mature Drum Pinot vines endure the first wave. As anticipated, this concentrated the fruit. We picked before the second heat wave, which assured we maintained acidity. This allowed us to keep our minimalistic approach in the cellar—avoiding stem inclusion, allowing our typical spontaneous fermentation, and limiting new oak.
Winemaker Notes
From what are considered the "grand cru" blocks of Drum Canyon, this Pinot Noir has a bit of dark fruit with a fennel-like spice and earthy notes that drive the youthful aromatics. The structure wraps itself around the very finesse driven weight and mid-palate. The wine has great length which suggests it should age for quite some time.
WINEMAKER NOTES
Most colleagues I speak with enjoy their 2019s more now than when the vintage initially arrived. The fruit was beautiful, thick skinned, and initially presented a subtle, quiet character that veiled its power and depth. Sensing the inherent structure, we did not include as many stems in the ferment as may be typical because we believed structure was present without any assistance. This proved true as maceration times were also shorter. As the wine aged in nearly 40% new French oak, more and more depth emerged as the wines also remained nimble and refreshing
TASTING NOTES
Most colleagues I speak with enjoy their 2019s more now than when the vintage initially arrived. The fruit was beautiful, thick skinned, and initially presented a subtle, quiet character that veiled its power and depth. Sensing the inherent structure, we did not include as many stems in the ferment as may be typical because we believed structure was present without any assistance. This proved true as maceration times were also shorter. As the wine aged in nearly 40% new French oak, more and more depth emerged as the wines also remained nimble and refreshing
