Sokol-Blosser Pinot Noir Evolution 2015

Evolution Pinot Noir is produced to be an easy “drink now” wine at a young age. This wine captures and highlights the delicate and pure fruit characteristics unique to Pinot Noir. We ferment with yeast that extracts and encourages the development of the distinct Pinot Noir characters. To capture and showcase this elegant fruit profile Evolution is both fermented and aged, primarily, in stainless steel and pressed at dryness. In addition to preserving the bright fruit, we also want to stabilize the distinct red-purple color and enhance mouthfeel and develop structure; this is where the importance of oak comes in to winemaking.

To strike a balance we have put a small yet impactful amount of French oak staves in the stainless steel tanks for 2- 3 months during aging. These staves are strung together and float in the wine. We taste periodically to determine when the impact of the staves has reached its critical point and then we pull the oak staves out.