2007 GF Grand Finale Saintsbury Pinot Noir Lee Vineyard I & H Swan

2007 GF Grand Finale Saintsbury Pinot Noir Lee Vineyard I & H Swan
Grape Variety: Pinot Noir
Region: Carneros, California
Food pairing: Delice de Bourgogne Cheese

At Gary's Wine and Marketplace, it's our belief that the wine business is not just about moving volume. It's about enjoying life, enjoying wine, and enjoying the company of friends. Otherwise, we might as well be selling carburetors. After 30 years in the wine business, Gary Fisch would like to begin to share the same camaraderie he's developed with the winemakers he's met along the way with his other friends, our most loyal customers. Therefore, we've commissioned the GF Private Label project, with the philosophy that there's always an extra barrel or two available for a friend.

For the flagship Grand Finale series, we've begun sourcing single barrels of ultra-premium wine from the world's best winemakers. Invitations to buy this exclusive wine will be extended only to our very best customers as our way of saying "thank you." We've worked directly with the winemakers to craft these wines, traveled extensively to check up on them as they develop into truly one-of-a-kind bottlings. You will not, cannot, find these wines anywhere else. They're just for us. And as such, we think they're a fitting Grand Finale to any special occasion.

We were so honored to work on our very first Grand Finale Pinot Noir with THE authorities on California Pinot, the folks at Saintsbury. In a very educational and thorough blending session at their certified Napa Green and solar-powered winery, winemakers Dick Ward and Jerome Chery helped us choose the perfect combination of clones and vineyard source for our one-of-a-kind 2007 bottling. (Talk about kids in a candy store!)

The winning combo: I & H Swan clones from the Lee Vineyard, situated just across the street from the Saintsbury's winery on Los Carneros Ave. Ira and Shirley Lee first planted their vineyard here in 1969, and later created the "Keep Carneros Green" initiative to keep the rolling hills pristine and free from overdevelopment. It's no surprise that we loved the Lee Vineyard fruit, as this vineyard displays the most primal Pinot Noir fruit character of all three of their vineyards, and is quite possibly the best for ageing potential.

Brooding aromas of ripe red and black plums, raspberry, and cedar give way to some wild herbs and flowers on the nose. Dark berry fruits, forest floor, and a creamy texture balance bright, mouth-watering acidity on the palate. She's already a beauty, and is only getting better each time we re-taste.