Cerise Vineyard

Cerise is one of Andersen Valley's most renowned vineyard sites, and ideally situated to produce intense hillside Pinot Noir. The vineyard, named for the original grower's wife, is planted on a series of south facing steep slopes, 800 to 1,200 feet above the floor of the Valley. This 40 acre vineyard is farmed organically, and planted in small, clonal blocks, each no larger than a few acres. They are exposed to both fog and cooling breezes from the ocean. The soils are a blend of sandstones and fractured shale. The vines struggle to yield 1.5 to 2.5 tons per acre in the very best years, producing small, intensely flavored grapes.

The sunny but cool and breezy days in this northern coastal valley help create great natural acidity with a fine backbone of ripe tannins. Together these provide a structural core balancing the concentrated black cherry mid-palate. Cerise will typically benefit from one to two years of bottle aging to fully blossom.