ORIGIN: Archery Summit Estate is our home vineyard in the Dundee Hills. This sixteen acre parcel was planted at Archery Summit's inception in 1993 and is an extension of our efforts to establish the best combination of vines and rootstocks with soil and mesoclimate. The site exemplifies our continued pursuit to craft America's premier Pinot Noir.

VINEYARD: Archery Summit Estate is a gently sloping, south-facing vineyard that surrounds our winery in the Dundee Hills. The grapes, a combination of Pommard Clone and Dijon Clones 115, 114 and 113, were hand harvested bwtween September 26 and Ocotber 18, 2005. Our vineyards are meticulously farmed utilizing sustainable practices, ensuring the highest possible fruit quality.

WINEMAKING: The grapes were hand picked, hand sorted and fermented in both wooden and stainless steel open-top fermentors. The fruit was soaked cold for 6 days then fermented entirely by indigenous yeasts under temperature controlled conditions. Vats were punched down manually up to two times per day during fermentation. Following limited post-fermentation maceration and total tank times of 23 days, the wine was sent by gravity flow to 87% new French oak Francois Freres and Tonnellerie Rousseau barrels for aging. After 15 months barrel aging, the wine was bottled without fining or filtration in January of 2007.

TASTING NOTES: Intense and inviting, this wine opens with vivid aromas of ripe black cherry, melted chocolate and wet stones. The palate is poignant and penetrating with loads of black fruits, cherry pip and cassis and notes reminiscent of licorice, cardamom and clean earth. This wine is intensely concentrated with abundant fine tannins and a chewy richness on the finish, which lingers convincingly. With proper cellaring, this wine can be enjoyed over the next eight to twelve years.

PRODUCTION: This vintage produced 708 six-bottle cases, 120 magnums and 30 3.0L formats.

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