Press

92 points, Wine Enthusiast
90 points, Wine Advocate

"Lovely aromas include a whiff of meat along with ripe berries, oranges and Bing cherries. This is the winery's most limited selection and saw the most new French oak, adding a pleasing toasty note to the finish. There's a suggestion of coffee grounds, and everything is already in good proportion. Drink now–2025." - Paul Gregutt

44 cases produced.

Winemaker Notes

The 2016 vintage was an excellent one on all accounts – early, with consistent warmth throughout the season. The 2016 Duck Pond Estate ‘Front Yard’ Pinot Noir is the inaugural release of this 1.2 acre block featured directly in front of the tasting room. While both the ‘Back Yard,’ and ‘Front Yard’ wines enjoy the round texture inherent to the area, the ‘Front Yard’ Pinot Noir is more robust, with a full complement of fruit, from strawberry to black raspberry, and a bigger tannin profile that can handle the 70% new oak in which it is aged. The Duck Pond Estate ‘Front Yard’ Pinot Noir really is the yin to the ‘Back Yard’ yang.  I anticipate this bottling to evolve over the next 5-7 years.

Vineyard Notes

Vineyard practices are the leading factor in high quality fruit, and the vineyard management follows a strict regime. Shoot thinning is performed early in the year; after fruit set, leaves are removed in the fruit zone on the east side of the vines. Later, the clusters are counted and thinned to a maximum of 28 clusters per vine. Once the grapes have achieved 75% color, a final cluster thinning is performed to remove any green or second crop clusters. The average yield is 2 tons per acre.