Spring Dear Siduri Wine Club Members,

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Merry Woods
6 years ago
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Spring 2017 Dear Siduri Wine Club Members, Welcome to the Spring, 2017 Shipment! I am truly thrilled to offer you these wines, as I love the 2015 vintage.

1 Spring 2017 Dear Siduri Wine Club Members, Welcome to the Spring, 2017 Shipment! I am truly thrilled to offer you these wines, as I love the 2015 vintage. After several vintages of large harvests, 2015 turned out to be a smaller than normal vintage and that seemed to give the wines additional depth. We worked hard with our growers to make certain that the grapes didn t ripen too quickly and we picked around heat spikes so as to avoid any overripe flavors. Wine writer Antonio Galloni has already gone on record and called the 2015s from Sonoma sensational and I have to agree. I hope you enjoy these wines. There aren t a lot of cases on any of them, so if you try a bottle and love it, let us know right away as they won t last long. Thanks so much for your continued support! I appreciate it tremendously. Cheers, Adam Lee and everyone at SIDURI

2 Club Babylon 2017 Spring Shipment Below is a list of the wines in this 2017 Spring Club Shipment. You are receiving one (1) bottle of each wine in your Club Shipment. As a 12 Bottle Club Babylon member you will receive a 20% discount off the retail prices. The total member cost is $472 before taxes and shipping. 12 Bottle Club Retail Club Babylon 2015 SIDURI Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir $35. $28.00 Sonoma Coast 2015 SIDURI $35. $ SIDURI Barbieri Pinot Noir $50 $ SIDURI Sierra Mar Pinot Noir $55 $ SIDURI Soberanes Pinot Noir $50 $ SIDURI Clos Pepe Pinot Noir $60 $ SIDURI Dierberg Pinot Noir $50 $ SIDURI Saralees Pinot Noir $50 $ SIDURI John Sebastiano Pinot Noir $50 $ SIDURI Parson s Pinot Noir $50 $40 Valley 2015 SIDURI Pratt Sexton Pinot Noir $50 $40 Sonoma Coast 2015 SIDURI Van Der Kamp Pinot Noir $55 $44 Sonoma County

3 Below is a list of the wines in this 2017 Spring Club Shipment. You are receiving one (1) bottle of each wine in your Club Shipment. As a 6 Bottle Club Babylon member you will receive a 20% discount off the retail prices. The total member cost is $252 before taxes and shipping. 6 Bottle Club Retail Club Babylon 2015 SIDURI Barbieri Pinot Noir $50 $ SIDURI Sierra Mar Pinot Noir $55 $ SIDURI Clos Pepe Pinot Noir $60 $ SIDURI Saralees Pinot Noir $50 $ SIDURI John Sebastiano Pinot Noir $50 $ SIDURI Parson s Pinot Noir $50 $40

4 Tasting Notes 2015 SIDURI Sierra Mar Pinot Noir The Sierra Mar Vineyard is located at the southern end of the Appellation, where the temperatures are a bit warmer and the soils a bit poorer. This leads to vines that tend to be more stressed and produce smaller crops. Combine this with the drought and the poor fruit set in 2015, and yields were down significantly at the Sierra Mar Vineyard. We started picking the Sierra Mar Vineyard in mid-august. The 943 clone has some of the smallest berries of any clone (they are oftentimes seedless) and we never want these grapes to experience a heat spike. Almost a month later we picked the Pommard clone, in completely different section of the vineyard and always ripening significantly later than the rest of the vineyard s fruit. Such differences in ripening timing lead to differences in fruit composition (we had riper stems in the longer-handing Pommard and thus we used whole clusters on its fermentation). And we picked two other clones (777 and clone 23) between the Pommard and the 943. Overall this gave us a huge range of fruit and distinctly different wines from section to section. Our goal then, was to create a harmonious blend from these compelling but disparate parts. We spent a great deal of time working on this blend, ultimately coming up with just the right combination from the various sections to create what we believe to be the best possible Sierra Mar Vineyard Pinot Noir. Not surprisingly the wine tends more to the dark side with more licorice and dark fruit flavors. The nose, however, reveals a bit of the whole cluster lift and the finish shows good acidity and backbone, keeping the wine from veering out of balance. This is a young, vibrant Pinot Noir that should only improve with additional time in the cellar SIDURI Clos Pepe Pinot Noir The further south (or west) you went in 2015, the poorer the yields. Clos Pepe was the victim of low yields not just because of this phenomenon but also because the lowest section of vines (the Pond) was hit by a frost early in the season and thus had very little fruit at all. This Pond section was good, but certainly not good enough for the final blend, which led us to depend on the Hillside Pommard and the Hillside 115 Clones. Fortunately, these two sections performed exceptionally well and we were able to work with them (using whole clusters on the Pommard clone) to create a superb Clos Pepe. On the downside is the quantity, where we produced only 8 barrels of this iconic wine. The 2015 Clos Pepe shows great depth of blue fruits. It is a more medium-bodied wine, with suggestions of dried herbs and forest floor (undoubtedly coming from the stems). On the finish the wine shows some of the tannins common in the Sta. Rita Hills, but we were careful not to over-extract the wine, giving it a sense of harmony and balance SIDURI Saralee s Vineyard Pinot Noir Valley Siduri s first ever wine from the Saralee s Vineyard comes from an usual part of this iconic property. There s one small section that is called the Expansion Block. This section was planted primarily as a source for cuttings for further plantings on this property and others. Accordingly, virtually every other row is planted to a different clone. That makes sampling, and deciding when to pick the grapes, far more difficult than at other vineyards. The guys in the cellar could always tell when I had sampled the Saralee s Vineyard because I would bring in a

5 Home Depot bucket almost full to the top as I had made so many passes to sample the fruit accurately. Despite this disadvantage, if you get the picking timing right, a vineyard with this many clones produces one of the more interesting and complex wines, and that is certainly the case with our 2015 Saralee s Vineyard Pinot Noir. After three large vintages, the 2015 vintage decided to play small ball. Yields were down throughout California, not only from the high yields of the previous vintages, but down also from normal. While yields were different than the previous vintages, the early ripening schedule was not. In fact, the grapes in 2015 ripened even earlier than in the previous three vintages. A small crop and an early ripening vintage leads to the very real possibility of heat spikes and overripe fruit. Thankfully, this did not occur and we ended up with a fantastic vintage with plenty of depth and concentration and complexity SIDURI John Sebastiano Pinot Noir The John Sebastiano Vineyard runs along the eastern edge of the Sta. Rita Hills Appellation and, as such, it is in a warmer part of the valley. However, it is also situated on steep slopes that face directly west and into the winds that blow in off the Pacific Ocean. This leads to very small clusters and small berries and more concentrated wines. Our sections at the John Sebastiano Vineyard are selected to provide us different exposures to the wind, with one section shielded by a small hillside, one section facing into the wind more directly, and one section so steep and exposed that it was considered un-plantable at first (we call that section the doughnut). In 2015, with the smaller crop, more of the final blend came from the wind shielded section, which also ripens earlier. We then worked to blend in fruit from the other two sections, providing more weight and backbone to the final wine. The 2015 Siduri John Sebastiano Vineyard Pinot Noir shows a distinctive spice character, along with red currant fruits and a voluptuous texture. Only on the finish do the balancing tannins (and acids) show up and help to make for a more complete and intriguing wine SIDURI Parson s Pinot Noir Valley Ever since the 2007 vintage, the Parsons Vineyard has been a key part of our Siduri line-up. After the incredibly successful debut 2007 vintage, the vineyard was hit by a crushing frost which led to far smaller yields and more challenging wines in 2008 and 2009, but thanks to diligent farming by owner Kelly Parsons and vineyard manager Jim Pratt, this dip was very short-lived. In 2015 yields were certainly lower than normal but they were not down nearly as far as vineyards out closer to the Sonoma Coast. These more normal yields were a very good thing for the Parsons Vineyard as they allowed the grapes to ripen more slowly, and gain more flavor complexity with additional hang time. We picked the Parsons Vineyard in two picks, the earlier one being from the more established vines while we waited longer on the fruit from some younger, grafted sections. In the case of both sections we picked around heat spikes with the earlier fruit coming in prior to the late August heat spike and the later fruit prior to the first of (several) September heat spikes. We worked diligently to blend these sections together, but most of the wine that made the final blend came from the earlier picking. We found that this fruit provided us with more fresh character and liveliness. Nonetheless, the Parsons Vineyard Pinot Noir remains one of our most backward Pinot Noirs at this early point in its life. All of the parts for greatness are there,

6 fresh fruits up front, followed by hints of earth and herb and a strong backbone, but currently they are still integrating. Give this wine several years in the cellar and you will have a superb bottle of Pinot Noir SIDURI Barbieri Pinot Noir The Barbieri Vineyard represents a homecoming of sorts. We purchased fruit from the Barbieri Vineyard almost 15 years ago. At that time the vineyard was planted to Zinfandel and produced a superb wine, although the vines were heavily virused. It was obvious that the vineyard needed to be replanted and, when the property sold it was replanted to Pinot Noir. Now, after some years (and another sale) we once again have access to this superb plot of land. It is different, walking rows that were once planted to head-trained vines and now are younger, vertical-shoot positioned vines but the contours of the land, and the outstanding quality of the wine that comes from the land, remains. The 2015 Siduri Barbieri Vineyard Pinot Noir blends together fruit from two neighboring sections of the vineyard. Despite being right next to each other the sections were picked almost two weeks apart. This is largely because the later section is planted to the 828 clone, which tends to have thicker skins and needs to hang longer to truly achieve ripeness. We used a small amount of whole clusters in the later ripening 828 section as well, while we destemmed all of earlier ripening 777 clone. Each of these sections were made into separate wines and we blended them back together as one lot, with more of the 777 making the cut than the 828. The wine was aged in all French oak and was bottled without fining or filtration. The Barbieri Vineyard Pinot Noir has been one of our favorite 2015 Pinot Noirs ever since we pressed it to barrel. It shows a great richness but that is buttressed with some earthy complexity (that actually reminds me of the soil as I walk the vines). On the finish the wine has sneaky structure, promising superb future development, but it does taste good enough to pop a bottle right away if you are so inclined SIDURI Santa Lucia Pinot Noir -- Yields were low in the in 2015, but not as bad as further south in Santa Barbara County. Overall, we averaged approximately 2.5 tons per acre (as opposed to 2 tons per acre in the Sta. Rita Hills). We spread out the picking of the fruit from mid-august into mid-september, depending on vineyard, section, and clone. For the first time in many years we added vineyards to our Santa Lucia Highlands blend with this year s version being a blend of the traditional combination of Pisoni, Sierra Mar, Garys, Soberanes, and Rosella s Vineyards but now also incorporating the Lemoravo and Escolle Vineyards. Lemoravo is located just below the Sierra Mar Vineyard at the warmer end of the Appellation while the Escolle Vineyard is further north and notably cooler than most of our other sources. We blended all of these vineyards together in the Spring of 2016 and, after tasting the wine, decided that it would benefit from additional time in barrel. Thus we waited to bottle this wine until January of 2017, unusually long aging for our Santa Lucia Highlands Appellation Pinot Noir. The 2015 Siduri Pinot Noir is a red fruited wine with superb concentration and balance. Having only been bottled a few months ago, it is still a bit tight on the finish, but really opens up after being open for several hours. If

7 you re going to drink this wine now, give it some air (or a good decanting) or let it sit in the cellar for a couple of years SIDURI Van der Kamp Pinot Noir Sonoma County The Van der Kamp Vineyard is on Sonoma Mountain, an area often thought of as being too warm for Pinot Noir. This thinking stems from the fact that most of the vineyards are on the eastward facing side of the mountain, which is far warmer. The Van der Kamp property is on the west facing side, and blocks the fog and wind coming in from the Pacific Ocean. This means that it is far cooler than generally thought, and consequently ripens later. In 2015 this meant that harvest stretched all the way into mid-september, not late by historical standards but later than many other vineyards. We purchase several different sections of fruit from the Van der Kamp family, and thus we picked the vineyard in three different passes. Yields at Van der Kamp were very healthy for 2015 and thus we had a good amount of wine to consider when coming up with the final blend. Having said that, the finest blend was a mere 6 barrels, making this one of the most rare 2015 bottlings. We bottled Van der Kamp without fining or filtration and produced what we believe to be one of our best Van der Kamp Pinot Noir ever! Renowned wine writer Antonio Galloni has already reviewed this wine and gave it a 91 point rating, describing it this way, Savory herbs, tobacco, licorice, mint and earth notes give the 2015 Pinot Noir Van Der Kamp Vineyard its distinctive, mountain-influenced personality. The intensity of the vintage is evident, but there is more than enough complexity and aromatic nuance to complement the richness of the fruit. This is a very pretty wine SIDURI Pratt Sexton Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast The Pratt Vineyard Sexton Road property was especially hard hit in 2015 and the resulting yields were tiny. Not only were the overall yields tiny but the berries were minuscule. This lead to a much darker and more weighty wine, and it also led us to pick prior to any significant dehydration. Having said that, in retrospect it probably would have done us good to have picked even earlier. Virtually all the fruit, from 4 different sections, came in at the same time at the vineyard and we chose to do a bit less whole cluster than normal on the wine as we didn t believe that the stems had the opportunity to fully mature. We also pressed this wine to barrel a bit more quickly than normal, choosing to get it off the skins earlier and not overextract it. Finally, we decided to bottle the wine early, before the 2016 harvest, as we wanted to preserve the freshness in the wine. And ultimately, that is what I love about the 2015 Pratt Vineyard Sexton Road wine. It is simultaneously dark and weighty, and yet in the mid palate is shows a liveliness on the palate that keeps in alive. Interestingly enough, this wine is showing more of that liveliness with the passage of time, something rather rare. Because of this, I think I would opt for 6 months of aging and checking in on it and seeing how it is performing SIDURI Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast The 2015 Siduri Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is one of our biggest and most impressive wines even though it carries a simply Appellation designation. This weight comes from the fact that the yields on the far coast were quite poor. These tiny yields gave us more weight and extract

8 than in the previous 4 vintages (2010 was more similar in the weight of the wines from the far Coast). Both the Bloomfield and Sonatera Vineyards fell into this camp and make up this wine. Honestly, there was a time where I was concerned that this wine was out of balance and simply too big to be a great example of a Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. However, as time goes by more and more of the forest floor and dried herb characters so reminiscent of the Coast are emerging in this wine. Moreover, the wine seems to be showing more crisp acidic backbone which is helping to balance out the powerful extract and overall weight of this wine. This wine is definitely a big boy and one to enjoy with rich foods or on a cold evening outside SIDURI Dierberg Pinot Noir In 2015 s lower yielding vintage the further south or further west you went the poorer the yields. At the Dierberg Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills, yields were quite low, around 2 tons per acre. This obviously helped concentrate the wine, but could have led to overripe fruit if we weren t careful to pick the fruit while it remained fresh. Accordingly, we spent a great deal of time checking on our two sections, making certain that we were getting all we could out of the vines without letting the fruit go past the point of ripeness. Ultimately this mean picking the fruit earlier rather than later, between two small heat spikes, one in the middle of the month and one at the end of the month. We harvested both the 115 and 777 clones simultaneously and had the grapes delivered to the winery by Larry (our favorite trucker) in his refrigerated reefer truck. We chose to use a small amount of stems in the 115 ferment, but destemmed the 777 clone entirely. Fermentation went quickly and quite easily and we pressed the wine at dryness directly to a combination of new and older French oak. We came up with the final blend in the Spring of 2016 and decided to bottle the wine earlier, in August of 2016, prior to harvest. Siduri s first ever Dierberg Vineyard Pinot Noir shows a surprising amount of elegance and grace. Rather than being big and over the top, it shows good richness and persistence on the palate, all the while retaining a beauty and sense of balance. This Pinot Noir seems like an early drinker, but it may well be one of those Pinot Noirs that ages surprisingly well based on its balance SIDURI Soberanes Pinot Noir The Soberanes Vineyard sits in the middle of the, directly to the south of the Garys Vineyard. We purchase 3 very distinct sections of grapes from this vineyard, with the 667 clone on a notable hill often being the first grapes we pick from the SLH, while the Trees section is the last Pinot Noir pick in the region. Of course, the last pick was still early in 2015, with harvest occurring on September 9 th. Given the wide spread of harvest dates, it is necessary for us to ferment each of these lots individually and blend them back together later. As is often the case, the earlier ripening 667 clone performed particularly well, making up a decent portion of the blend, but in 2015 the two later ripening sections also did well (better than normal) and thus the 2015 is a somewhat different blend than normal. It is also one of our most backward Pinot Noirs at this early stage, although you can certainly tell that it is all there. Wine writer Jeb Dunnuck of the Wine Advocate noted this as well, when he reviewed a barrel sample of the wine and gave it points and said, The 2015 Pinot Noir Soberanes Vineyard is primary and unevolved (more so than the 2014 was at this stage) and has perfumed, exotic notes of passion fruits, spring flowers and violets. Medium-bodied, rich and nicely concentrated, with high quality tannin, it should certainly be an outstanding wine to drink on release and over the following 7-8 years.

Spring Dear Club Members,

Spring Dear Club Members, Spring 2016 Dear Club Members, This is truly a great time to be a California Pinot Noir lover! I was thinking about this as I was writing this in my 20+ years of making California Pinot Noir I don t recall