2008 RETOUR PINOT NOIR -

THE VINTAGE ESSENTIALS

Driven by a passion for quality and leveraging a close partnership with our growers, we were deeply committed to nurturing each vine, in each vineyard, throughout the growing season in order to achieve the flavor intensity and purity we required. Our efforts included advanced sustainable farming practices, precise vine and soil nutrition, intense canopy and yield management, and the tradition of “talking to our vines”. The loyalty from our growers, their meticulous crews and our incredible team at the winery, proved critical to the success of the vintage.

Copious adventures rippled throughout the season -- bud break and veraison were both belated and then the threatening September rains came! With low sugars, high acids and threatening weather trends, all signs indicated it would be another challenging and cool vintage like 2007. Many vintners across the valley began to panic and chose to harvest their Pinot Noir too early. For Retour, this was not an option. Our approach was simple: we followed the same practices that we performed with the 2007 growing season. We aggressively pulled the leaves to open up the airflow and minimize any threat of disease. The second phase was to continually walk through each row, vine by vine and study the condition of each and every cluster. Our yields were already low from a minimal fruit set, yet we continued to drop any unwanted clusters and plucked any damaged berries from their havens with “tweasers”! Some may call this costly and obsessive-compulsive behavior in the vineyard - however, we were eager and willing to do what was necessary, to ensure the fruit was in beautiful, flavorful condition, prior to harvesting. 

All of this, simply because Retour is made in the vineyard.

Soon after, the glorious skies opened up and the choir sang. We were blessed with one of the warmest October's on record. The fruit continued to hang and we were able to harvest at our leisure. Our Pinot Noir was picked and sorted by hand in the vineyard just as dawn broke on brisk mornings. Another thorough sorting occurred by hand at the winery to ensure optimal quality. It was pure gratification on the days that we harvested... the clusters were in healthy condition and had developed great physiological ripeness.

Most of our fruit was destemmed and fermented as whole berries in individual lots, while a smaller portion consisted of 100% whole clusters for added spice, complexity and texture. Use of native yeasts during fermentation contributed to complexity and more completely aligned the wine’s profile with its vineyard of origin. After fermentation, the wines were moved by gravity to French oak barrels and left to rest quietly before the final blend was orchestrated.

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APPROACH TO WINEMAKING

The combination of Eric Hamacher's humility, world-class talent and years of experience shape a hand that is light. Track marks from Hamacher are nowhere to be found. His influence is fleeting – his job is to get out of the way, let the wine tell its story. Native yeasts, small open-top fermenters, a delicate approach that coaxes and nudges but does not intrude. Simple tools like meticulous fruit sorting, artistic temperature control, precise punchdowns and pumpovers, gentle gravity-fed movements, and a comfortable bedding of hand-selected French oak barrels. Raising the wine takes a watchful and experienced eye, knowing when to provide loving discipline and when to let go. I am honored to be working with Hamacher, whose approach is perfectly aligned with our vision of crafting a Pinot Noir that vibrates with spirit of place.

 

Acquire 2008 Pinot Noir