Rating:

Product Description:

Cellar Tracker Favorite: Average 90.7 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 10 notes!

"Great energy, mouthwatering acidity. Enticing aromas and flavors of sweet raspberries, strawberries, sandalwood spice, vanilla, tea and black cherries. Only 328 cases produced."

WINE:
"The 2007 vintage enjoyed one of the finest growing seasons in memory. Such favorable weather allowed the decision of when to pick, to be driven entirely by the flavor development in the grapes. This wine comes primarily from a small, 4 acre hillside vineyard north of Sebastopol, near Graton on the ridge overlooking the Laguna de Santa Rosa. The vineyard's eastern aspect provided good exposure to the sun's gentle rays from dawn until mid-afternoon and protected it from the extreme heat of the late afternoon sun. Its well-drained Goldridge soils kept vigor in check and the array of Pinot Noir selections - Swan, 459, Dijon 115, 113, 667 and 777 -lend personality and complexity to the wine. The vines' leaf canopy was carefully managed to allow good air movement and filtered sunlight into the fruit zone. The crop on each vine was thinned to match the vigor of that individual vine."

"To preserve the fruit flavors, we picked the grapes in the cool of night, harvesting the tiny grape clusers into small bins to protect them and prevent dejuicing. Immediately upon their arrival at the winery, we sorted the grapes by hand to ensure that only the finest grapes went to tank and we culled out sunburned berries, under-ripe fruit and leaves. Aged in French oak barrels for 9 months. Harvested September 28, 2007." -Winery

WINERY:
"At Baton Wines we team with small, dedicated growers who farm cool-climate vineyard sites capable of producing exceptional quality winegrapes. Cool sites have long growing seasons, often 2 to 3 weeks longer than normal. While this heightens the risk of fall rains, it fosters greater flavor development and preserves the grapes' natural acidity. Our search for cool sites limits us to areas with significant coastal influence and high mountain elevations."

"Bill Vyenielo is a Sonoma County native, raised in the country outside of Petaluma. His love of the outdoors and agriculture developed early, as he grew up working on dairies and ranches throughout Sonoma and Marin Counties. Upon graduation from UC Davis, he joined Farm Credit at their St Helena office in the Napa Valley. Here, Bill learned the wine industry - financing vineyard and winery operations. Eventually, Bill was recruited by Jay Corley to help run Monticello Cellars' vineyards and wineries. After a sabbatical to earn an MBA, Bill became General Manager at Peter Michael Winery near Calistoga. At the time, it was a small, unknown startup. Over the next 14 years, Bill helped develop Peter Michael Winery into one of the most respected luxury winery and vineyard estates in the United States."

"In 2006, Bill and his wife Cathy set out to start Baton Wines. Returning to the land he knows, Bill's experience and intimate knowledge of the landscape, soil types, microclimates, fog and wind patterns in his native Sonoma County have proven invaluable in identifying vineyard sites that produce the highest quality grapes." -Winery

This was rated 86 points by Robert Parker.