2007 Russian River Valley Durif

The 2007 growing season was one to remember in Northern California and will surely turn out as one of the finer vintages ever produced.   Throughout the year the weather was incredibly stable with no hard frosts or extreme heat.   The early season was on the colder side providing natural crop thinning. The Durif berries were on the smaller side and clusters remained loose.   This helped keep any bacteria and mold from invading. The weather warmed near the end of August only to drop off with threats of moderate rain certainly wreaking havoc with the Pinot Noir growers.   However, the extra hang time has led to a wonderful fruit forward Durif with amazing colors and a wonderful lilac and cherry nose.     

Average Harvest Brix:	26.4°
Average Harvest PH:	3.86
Alcohol:	14.8%
Harvest Date	September 26th , 2007
Cases Produce:	160
Cooperage:	25% New French Oak-Medium Toast 75% Used French Oak (Chardonnay Barrels)
Vineyard:	Bacigalupi Vineyards Latitude 38 ° 33'49.23” N, LONGITUDE 122 ° 52'06.72” W
Trellis:	East-West Facing Vertical Shoot Position
Yield:	3 tons per acre
Blend:	Single Vineyard/No Blend

What is Durif?   It's a cross between the Syrah and the Peloursin grapes.   It was discovered by Dr. Francois Durif (A French Nurseryman) in the late 1800's.   It's generally known for lots of black fruit and spices.   Our 2007 Durif doesn't disappoint.    After harvest, the fruit was de-stemmed.   The fruit was then cold-soaked on the skins for 5 days in one ton fermentation bins.   Caps were punched down twice per day.  

As with all of our wines, fermentation then occurred naturally with native vineyard yeasts over the course of 10 days. Native fermentation leads to more complexity and character.   The fruit was then pressed where 85% of the juice in each barrel was out of the press (press run) and 15% of each barrel was juice that naturally leaked out of the berries during fermentation (Free Run).   Generally, press run juice has higher concentrations of residual sugars, tannins and acids.   The free run juice helps us balance this out.   From there, malolactic fermentation occurred naturally until early spring where one racking took place to rid the barrels of acids and dead yeast cells (lees).   The wine was then bottled unfiltered and unfined.  

Tasting Notes

The first thing you will notice from the 122° West Winery 2007 Durif is how viscus and dense it is, almost like ink in the glass.   Strong aromas of lilac and cherry delight the nose leading to a subtle and soft mouthfeel with silky tannins while orchestrating strong notes of blackberry.   Mid-pallet, the intensity of the black fruits and black pepper notes grow leading to a long and delightful mineral finish followed by a delightful surprise of blueberry pie.   Our Durif is a perfect compliment to a grilled meal of beef or pork.

Decant

We recommend you decant all of our wines for at least an hour before enjoying.