The sun is shining in the vineyard and the 2005 Ketcham Estate Pinot Noir is now in bottle. Yee-hah!

If you would like to request an allocation of the 2005 Ketcham Estate Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, sign up for our mailing list by clicking here. If wine is available, we will send you an email with an allocation within a few days.

The winter time is normally a quiet time in the vineyard, but we have been super busy. After a very bountiful 2006 harvest and crush last September (about which we're very excited) things slowed down for a month. We took a breath, then things kicked right back into high gear, as we started pruning the vineyards for Spring. We (stand by for some vineyard geek speak) took about half the vineyard and converted it into cane-pruned vines, the other half remaining cordon-pruned. Over the last couple years, we have added a great variety of Pinot Noir clones and rootstocks to the property (end of vineyard geek speak). How that translates is that we are developing a great breadth of fruit profiles for our winemaker, Michael Browne, to work with.

2005 Ketcham Estate Russian River Valley Pinot Noir Tasting Notes

Color: Ruby red with a crisp edge.

Aromatics: The nose offers up layers of spices, bright red cherries, raspberries, some strawberry, spice and stone fruit leading the way, with a bit of mineral and mushroom integrated throughout.

Palate: The palate serves up layers of flavors that only Russian River Valley can deliver. The acidity, firm and snappy, provides the framework for a dance of red fruits, bright red cherry, strawberry and raspberry on entry which leads to a full mid palate framed by acidity and soft tannins. Red fruit, mineral, spice and clean earth balance the wine with purity and a long, lingering finish. When to Drink: You can enjoy this now (with a good decanting), but the wine will continue to improve for the next 1-2 years. We hope you have more patience than we do!!!

Food Pairings: Wild game birds, roasted chicken, fresh salmon, rack of lamb grilled with fresh rosemary, all pair wonderfully with this mouthwatering wine. For the non-meat eaters among us, try truffled risotto or porcini ravioli smothered in sweet thyme butter. See our website for additional recipes that pair with our wines.

We appreciate your support. Remember, pinot noir goes best with food, whether it is dinner, lunch or breakfast!

Cheers,
Mark Ketcham and Steven Rigisich