2006 Mueller Pinot Noir Emily's Cuvee Russian River

Ripe and seductive black cherry fruit on the nose opening up nicely in 15 minutes starting to show fresh earth nuance and anise spice with floral perfume and exotic spice in the bouquet. Smooth and velvety on the tongue with ripe round tannins bright black cherry fruit and floral notes through the finish and a nice hand of acidity keeping things fresh on the finish. Finish 40+ Excellent

Emily's Cuvee is produced primarily from vineyards near the banks of the Russian River. The core vineyard is owned by Jim Ledbetter, and is located on a well drained, gravelly site less than one mile from the Russian River (the middle reach) of the appellation. This vineyard experiences the full impact of cooling fog which travels up the rivers banks. Fruit is harvested in the cool morning hours and transported to the winery on Starr Road (minutes away) for destemming into our small, two-ton custom designed fermenting tanks. A portion of juice is fermented using pure strain yeast while the balance ferments spontaneously with wild (indigenous) yeast. During fermentation, they punch down the cap by hand several times each day to gently extract the grapes flavors and aromas. The wine is aged in French oak barrels, of which about 40% are new.