Rating:
91+
Kelli White - Vinous
"This Pinot Noir from Element is one of the better Pinot Noirs I tried on my trip. The color is pale garnet with amber edges and the nose is lifted and sweetly perfumed. Scents of red cherries, incense, river mud, and dried herbs mark the nose. Though the bouquet is quite generous, the palate is a touch austere, however lovely. At the very center of the wine is a core of appealing ripe fruit, though at this moment the structure is the more dominant element. Oddly, the wine is packaged in a fluted Alsacian bottle, though that is about to change. Winemaker Christopher Bates laughs at himself over his original bottle choice, "I seemed to want to make this wine as hard as possible to sell."" July 2016
Product Description:
"Production: 270 Cases and 18 Jeroboams
"Viti/Vini: 2012 was an outstanding year in the Finger Lakes. A near perfect summer, followed by a warm, balanced fall produced healthy, clean fruit, giving growers and winemakers the ability to allow the fruit to hang. This produced grapes of exceptional ripeness. Spontaneous ferment, with no additions or additives, and no SO2 until its first birthday. After basket pressing and a short settling, the wine was aged in neutral 500 liter French oak for 18 months on their lees.
"Tasting Note: Ripe red and black cherries emerge with turned earth and notes of thyme and sage. The wine shows beautiful purple flowers and a dusty minerality, while hints of cranberry and pomegranate balance the opulence. The palate is soft, but the tannins are firm and the grip is deceptive and integrates its structure well. This wine will develop beautifully over the next decade or more." - Winery
About the Estate
"In 2005, Element Winery co-founder and Master Sommelier Christopher Bates returned to the US after spending two vintages in Italy and one in Germany. It was bitter cold that December, but he had an idea burning inside of him. He wanted to create a winery that used the upstate New York climate as a blessing and not a curse. Some 10 years later, Christopher’s original vision still guides our decision-making process today.
"Element Winery was founded to explore cool climate terroirs, to produce wines which express their origins without preconceived notions. We make delicate wines, balanced with a focus on mineral and floral aromas, low alcohol and higher acids using a minimalist approach that allows the grapes to speak for themselves. We are dedicated to producing small quantities of wines we love.
"With that in mind, we will continue pushing forward, and hope you enjoy the fruits of our labor." - Bob Bates, Owner
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