2007 Spy Valley Envoy Pinot Noir

Stephen Tanzer
"88 pts ... Medium red. Bright aromas of raspberry and spicy oak. Rich, silky and sweet, with a dark fruit ripeness that robs this wine of some of the sappiness shown the Spy Valley's regular bottling. The slightly roasted dark fruit flavors carry through to the fairly tannic finish." -- 09/10

Wine Enthusiast
"86 pts ... Spy Valley’s 2007 Envoy Pinot Noir is an attractive wine, featuring an exterior of brown sugar, dry leaves and coffee and a fruit-filled cherry center. The only concern is the slightly drying finish and some slightly coarse, rustic tannins. If those resolve gracefully, this rating may look stingy in 3 years’ time." --12/10

Winemaker's Notes
"Deep garnet color. Brooding and intense. Dark fruits with a citrus/perfumed lift. Sweet and immediate fruit with a hint of the forest floor complexity to emerge with age. The structure is powerful, with a long and elegant finish."

Technical Notes
"The fruit for Envoy Pinot Noir comes from our oldest vines. Grapes were hand harvested from our original plantings of Pinot Noir. They were partially de stemmed and fermented with wild yeasts in small oak cuves. After pressing and malolactic fermentation the wine was aged for 18 months in French oak barrels. Bottled without fining or filtration. 14% alc."