Sea Smoke Ten

Producer: Sea Smoke
Wine: Pinot Noir "Ten"
Vintage:2004
Region: Sta Rita Hills, California
Rating: 89KB
Coin: 70USD-SRP
Tasted: 1/24/11
Notes:WINEMAKING: Grapes were hand-sorted and gently de-stemmed with no
crushing; ‘jack stems’ were removed by hand. The must was cold-soaked in opentop
fermenters for one to four days (depending upon the lot), then inoculated with a
cultured yeast to begin a slow fermentation. Each tank was manually punched down
one to three times per day over a period of 16 plus days; some tanks underwent a
longer maceration period of up to 28 days. Upon completion of primary fermentation,
and the desired number of maceration days, all free-run wine was transferred
to tank for settling. Pressing was done at extremely low pressure (0.08 bars) to
avoid extracting bitterness from the seeds. After settling overnight, both the freerun
and the press wines were racked cleanly to separate barrel lots. The final blend
includes favored lots with high extraction and intensity of flavor. The wine was aged
for 18 months in 100 percent new French oak barrels and was bottled without filtration.
CHARACTER: The 2004 Ten is a darkly colored and substantial wine. It is slow to
develop in the glass, ultimately revealing aromas of dark plum, black cherry and currants,
along with notes of cedar and a hint of earthiness. Remarkably rich in texture,
the wine maintains good balance across the palate and culminates in a firm, but velvety
finish. We recommend decanting this wine thirty to sixty minutes prior to drinking,
particularly if consumed before 2008.
APPELLATION Santa Rita Hills
COMPOSITION 100% Pinot Noir
(Grown exclusively on Sea Smoke's Estate Vineyard)
ALCOHOL 14.5% by volume
PH 3.54
TOTAL ACIDITY 0.61g/100ml
BRIX AT HARVEST 25.4
RELEASE DATE May 2006
SUGGESTED RETAIL 70 U.S. dollars