Description
The Soul Patch Vineyard is our Estate Vineyard. It’s our home, and our Heart and Soul radiates from this hillside vineyard that Guy planted in 1996. Like all three of our Vineyard Designate sites, it is an East facing slope, so it basks in the gentle morning sun as it burns off the thick Pacific Ocean fog; and dodges the harsh afternoon sun, leaving the clusters with their bright natural acidity and layers of beautiful aromas and flavors. This Soul Patch Pinot Noir is a Barrel Selection of our favorite barrels each vintage, a blend that creates the perfect balance between richness and elegance which makes it so special.
Guy and Judy Davis purchased the property on which Soul Patch is planted in 1996. Guy planted the Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah and he and his son Cole have farmed the vineyard since its purchase, in addition to the existing block of Old Vine Zinfandel. Only organic, earth friendly farming practices are used on their estate vineyard. The reasoning for this is simple; not only is this better for the planet and the consumer, but ultimately creates a more layered and complex wine.
The Soul Patch vineyard is on an eastern facing hillside in the heart of the Russian River Valley, with vineyard rows running north to south. This positioning is important because it allows the vineyard to benefit from the gentle heat of the morning sun, while being shielded from the harsh afternoon sun. All of the vineyard rows running north to south ensures that all of the fruit gets equal exposure to the sun. The soil is Goldridge series, with very high amounts of volcanic ash. This adds a beautiful minerality to each vintage, one of the highlights of the amazing complexity from our estate vineyard.
There are 7 acres planted to Pinot Noir on Soul Patch vineyard at the top of the eastern facing hillside. Guy planted a combination of Pommard clone, and Dijon clones 777, 667, and 115.
Rusty Gaffney the Prince of Pinot says, ìProprietor and winemaker Guy Davis consistently crafts outstanding Pinot Noirs. “Captivating perfume of rich and deep ripe dark berries with a hint of dried rose hips and cut flowers. Mouth coating flavors of fresh picked black raspberries and blackberries that attack the mid palate with a vengeance and persist on the long and lush finish. Striking in its impeccable balance and sexy, silky texture. Class in the glass!”
Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar – 91 points
“Brilliant ruby-red. Fresh dark berries, cola and rose pastille on the smoke-and-mineral-accented nose. Spicy and tightly focused on entry, then more fleshy in the middle, offering gently sweet black raspberry and cola flavors and a spicy topnote that builds with air. Finishes with excellent clarity and thrust, picking up fine-grained tannins that provide focus and gentle grip. Very accessible now, with decanting, but this wine has the depth to age.”
Wine Enthusiast, 90 points
“Muscular in brambly black cherry and spicy cola layers, this lingers on the palate long after the initial sip. A fine example from what the Russian River Valley winemakers call the Laguna Ridge, a not-too-cool, not-too-warm section of the appellation with shallow Goldridge soils.” – V.B. 12/1/2014
