2006 SEGUE RUSSIAN RIVER PINOT NOIR

The 2006 Segue Russian River Pinot Noir integrates dark berry, cola, and smoky flavors with a velvet mouthfeel. The region’s unique Goldridge soil and cool climate contribute to the wine’s combination of round lush fruit, earthiness and spice.

Balancing moderate daytime heat, marine influences provide ideal conditions for the delicate, temperamental Pinot Noir grape, which needs a wink from the gods to fully ripen and to develop the ripe blackberry, raspberry, and dark cherry components found in this Segue. Layers of rich mocha aroma, cassis, cinnamon and black tea will continue to develop with cellaring. The long ’06 season produced smaller berries with more concentrated flavor, bolstered by excellent tannic structure and acid balance, resulting in a Segue Russian River Pinot Noir with exceptional aging potential.

I cold-soaked the berries for 7 days to extract flavor and color, using only native wild yeast to ferment, then punched down gently by hand and aged eleven months in 40% new French medium light toasted oak. As in my ’05, I crafted this wine to achieve a balance between round, ripe fruit, layers of smoky spice, and mouth-watering acidity as in my previous vintage.

Like all Segue wines, the’06 Russian River is styled for pure pleasure as an accompaniment to fine cuisine. The balance between acidity and ripened fruit brings out full flavors in food, and is in turn enhanced by the food it accompanies.

» Segue ’06 Russian River Technical Sheet (pdf)