Summary

Vineyard planted in: 1976 and 1996
Vine spacing: 8'x12' and 4'x6
Clones/selections: Swan, Pommard, Dijon 115, Dijon 777
Rootstock: St. George
Yield: 3.0 tons of grapes per acre

pH: 3.76
Titratable acidity: 0.55 g/100mL
Alcohol: 14.1% by volume
Aged 16 months in new and 1-year-old Francois Freres, Dargaud et Jaegle, Marcel Cadet, Cadus, and Remond barrels
365 cases produced

Vineyards and Winemaking

The fruit for this wine came from two different blocks of the Truchard vineyard. The oldest block, planted over twenty years ago, is naturally balanced and provides scanty amounts of fruit that contribute structure and elegance to the wine. This vintage was the third bearing year for a young block of vines of various clones, including the highly-regarded Dijon clones imported from Burgundy. The highly exposed fruit produced wine with fruity youthful exuberance that melded beautifully into the blend.

The 2002 growing season began with a series of rain episodes followed by short spurts of heat that dried out the canopies and minimized any disease pressure. The weather during flowering and fruit set was cool, resulting in moderate crop loads that needed very little thinning to achieve a proper yield. The first surprise of the vintage was an early June heat wave that hit 100 oF and caused the vines to quickly use up the water that remained in the soil at the end of the rainy season. As a result, the vines remained de-vigorized and well-behaved for the balance of the growing season. The harvest season arrived with a series of short heat waves that quickly sent the grapes into maturity, causing winemakers everywhere to scramble in an effort to get the grapes in at the peak of ripeness. We picked two days after one of the heat waves to take advantage of the resulting concentration

The grapes were simply destemmed with approximately 25% retained as whole clusters, then left to soak prior to the start of a native fermentation. Part way through, a small amount of a commercial yeast strain was introduced to ensure completion of the process. After an extended maceration, the must was pressed after 31 days in the fermenter and then transferred to barrels. The wine underwent malolactic fermentation and eighteen months of aging in new and one-year-old French oak barrels. A mere 365 cases were produced.

Tasting Notes

Talisman's 2002 Truchard Vineyard Pinot noir exhibits immediate aromatics of spice, anise, and black plum, with hints of vanilla. On the palate, notes of blackberry and raspberry meld with a pleasingly round texture and a profound depth of flavor. This wine has a great balance between high and low notes, with fine-grained tannins that result only from perfect timing at harvest. Although picked very ripe, the wine retains an unusual degree of freshness that is highlighted by the juiciness of the finish.