2009 Toyon Farm Pinot Noir

For nearly three decades we've had the opportunity to roam Carneros, seeking the best Pinot Noir vineyards for our various bottlings, including numerous small non-commercial amounts of select individual vineyard wines for our wine library. We watched how these wines age and how the expression of terroir is nuanced by the specifics of each growing season. We liked the results and decided to go public with our venture into showcasing the outstanding plantings of the Carneros appellation.

While Lee Vineyard and Stanly Ranch have significant places in the viticultural history of Carneros, Toyon Farm’s history is that of a horse ranch. Planted in 2000 and 2001, Toyon Farm's weather turns warmer a little earlier in the day and little fingers of soils of volcanic origin intermix with the more typical marine sedimentary clay-loams. It is no wonder that, texturally speaking, Toyon Farm and Brown Ranch pinots have more than a passing resemblance to each other in their fine-grained tannins and persistence and length on the palate.