Hatton Daniels Pinot Noir 2012
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Hatton Daniels was founded in 2009 with the goal of allowing each vintage to speak for itself, without trying to force any style upon the wines. Over time as we have gotten more comfortable with our vineyards and added new wines, our philosophy has evolved to embrace the idea that the best way for a wine to express itself is to ensure that it is made from nothing but grapes, with no additions (other than a small sulfur addition to protect from oxidation in bottle). This means that the fruit needs to be picked early enough that it has plenty of natural acidity, and this leads to wines that are a bit lighter in style, but that are full of energy, and still have plenty of depth and complexity.
The Sonoma Coast AVA is large in area but, not counting overlapping regions like Russian River Valley, only has a few thousand acres of grapevines—and it’s no wonder. Much of the region is rugged and not easily accessible. Its proximity to the Pacific Ocean’s fog and cool breezes limits the varieties that can be cultivated, but it proves to be an ideal environment for high quality Pinot Noir.
Since fog is a frequent fact of life here, as are heavy marine layers that sometimes bring rain, the best vineyards are wisely planted above the fog line, on picturesque ridges that capture enough sun to provide even ripening. That, with the overnight drop in temperature that reliably preserves acidity, results in fine expressions of Pinot Noir that often receive tremendous critic and consumer praise alike, and are often in high demand.