COUNTRY: United State of America (USA)

STATE: CA

APPELLATION (AVA): Redwood Valley

REGION: North Coast

SUBREGION: Mendocino County

VINEYARD: Hawkeye Ranch

VINTAGE: 2017

GRAPES: Pinot Noir (Martini clone)

SOIL: Well drained Pinole gravelly loam

PRACTICE: CCOF certified organic, dry-farmed, Fish Friendly Farming Certified vineyard

VINIFICATION: De-stemmed, open top fermentation, 7 days cold soak followed by native yeast fermentation, gentle extraction, native malolactic fermentation in barrel, 20% new French oak, light lees contact, aged 18-24 months in barrel, then 24 months bottle aging.

STYLE: Still

COLOR: Garnet

BODY: Medium (5-6)

TASTE: Dry

PRIMARY AROMAS: Red cherries, floral

FLAVOR: Cranberry, huckleberry, earth, velvety tannins, long finish with spice notes

FORMAT: 750 ml

ALCOHOL: 11.3%

 SERVICE AND SUGGESTION:

ABOUT THE PRODUCER: Winemaker, Faith Armstrong Foster
Onward Wines are single-vineyard, site-driven wines and Farmstrong Wines are blends, and in both expressions the vineyard sites are very special to me. I am a true believer in personal connection and there is a story behind each vineyard site and how it came to be part of my portfolio. In these stories you will learn more about the people behind these vineyards. I liken my connection to these vineyards to that of one’s favorite shirt or coffee mug or chair. Like a well-worn fabric or a slightly chipped mug that may have initially caught my eye for its beauty, but over the years it has won my heart because it just feels right. When it comes to vineyards this happens too, and it is a combination of my connection with the vines themselves and my connection with those that tend them. For me the growers’ hands are most definitely part of the terroir.

ABOUT THE VINEYARDS: 
The Hawkeye Ranch Vineyard site is naturally stunning yet unpretentious. Redwood Valley is very far north for a California appellation. Hawkeye Ranch sits at 722 feet elevation and is located in the upper reaches of the Russian River drainage in Mendocino County. The soil type is Pinole Gravelly Loam, which provides excellent drainage and promotes low vigor.  This vineyard has warm daytime temperatures and cool evenings giving a large diurnal temperature shift often of 50 degrees; providing excellent fruit maturation while maintaining balance.  Hawkeye Ranch is farmed organically and Fish Friendly Farming Certified.

Pinot Noir Block:
These heritage vines were planted in the 1970’s. The vines are the Martini clone, a clone selected by Louis Martini, and now quite rare because most of the older vines have been replanted. The vineyard is in a wonderfully harmonious place where crop load and vine vigor are naturally balanced, allowing for an organic farming style that promotes slow, steady fruit maturation. From such fruit emerge wonderfully delicate, yet highly textured full bodied wines.