2021 Phelan Farm Pinot Noir

Buy 2021 Phelan Farm Pinot Noir at Elite Wine Society

About Phelan Farm Pinot Noir 2021:

All wines are made with natural yeast. The Phelan Farm Wines do not see any sulfur (in the vineyard or cellar). All the wines are aged in older oak barrels of all sizes. The wines are hand bottled without any fining or filtration.

Tasting Notes:

Phelan Farm Pinot Noir 2021 boasts notes of pepper and cloves with restrained raspberries. Great balance and grip on the palate: fresh, clean, lithe, balanced, baking spices, not over extracted, yet with silky tannins.

Barrel Selection:

Fermented whole-cluster in stainless steel with indigenous yeast before being transferred to neutral oak barrels for elevage.

Growing Notes:

Cool climate, maritime influence, three miles from the Pacific.

The vineyard strives to work in collaboration with the diverse species of microbes, plants, and animals on the farm to build the healthiest soil possible. This allows them to limit interventions during vinification.

In addition they mix farming approach inspired by permaculture, biodynamics, and regenerative agriculture in our pursuit of healthier
soil. This approach includes several holistic measures that draw on the natural vitality of the vineyard and its surroundings.

The winemaker uses compost brewed from the skins of their grapes and the manure from the animals who graze the vineyard to boost microbial life in the soil. To support the immune systems of the vines, the maker relies on fermented treatments made from an array of native plants (nettles, lupins, horsetail, willow bark) and other local ingredients including honey from our local bee colony, kelp, seaweed, Pacific Ocean water, and fish bone emulsion powder among others.

They follow a no-till philosophy to avoid disturbing the complex fungal network under the surface and to sequester carbon in the soil. They avoid spraying sulfur and copper in the vineyard to ensure that we do not harm the earthworms and insects who are essential partners in the ecosystem.

Harvest Dates: September 19th

Winemaking Notes:

After harvesting all the grapes by hand using low-impact four-wheelers for transport, the wines from the 2021 vintage ferment whole-cluster in stainless steel with indigenous yeast before being transferred to neutral oak barrels to elevate.

Wines then rack off lees and immediately bottle by gravity with no SO2 additions, no filtration, and no fining. Bottling dates determine according to the lunar calendar to harness the force of the moon.

About The Winery:

Phelan Farm encompasses the lessons of a life in wine and the vision of a vineyard intertwined with nature. Here at the extreme edge of a continent. The cooling grasp of the Pacific shapes their philosophy and sharpens the intent. The makers seek a future where wine is a gift to the earth, as well as to humankind.

Story Behind The Winery:

The roots of Phelan Farm furthermore stretch back to the founding of the Phelan family homestead a few miles from the Pacific on Steiner Creek in 1851, just after California became a state. Inspired by his land’s potential to grow great grapes, Greg Phelan planted Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines on their own roots in 2007, choosing four sites within the farm best suited to viticulture.

Mario Daniele introduction to Greg and Phelan Farm ten years later sparked a new vision for the vineyards. Whereas focusing on creating a healthy ecosystem for the vines through regenerative farming practices. To further support this model, he focused on diversifying the vineyards with a selection of cool-climate vines from all over Europe—particularly the Jura and Savoie—while retaining many of the original plantings. Lastly, through some of the varietals may be different, the vineyards all retain their original names to pay homage to the Phelan family.