2020 Sparkling Wine

A few years ago, we had an ‘ah-ha’ moment when two key events happened within weeks of each other. First, we realized we were nearing in on the 20th vintage of Medlock Ames and were debating which wine we’d want to highlight to celebrate the occasion. Around that time, we also saw that the single acre of Pinot Noir, planted in the coolest, most southern part of Bell Mountain was producing incredible fruit but so little that we almost couldn’t make enough to bottle as Pinot Noir. The idea came quickly to make a traditional Champagne method brut sparkling wine that combines our Russian River Valley Pinot Noir with the Chardonnay grapes grown in the next rows. 

The 2020 Sparkling Brut offers generous aromas of vanilla, baked apple, pear galette, and white peach that leap out of the glass. These are followed by notes of lemon zest, kumquat, and a hint of salinity. Eight months of barrel aging and 33 months of sur lie aging in the bottle bring aromas of fresh baked bread. Fine bubbles bring a creamy texture and velvety mouthfeel with pronounced acidity.

Vintage

With half the average rainfall during the winter and spring, there was minimal vegetative growth. Cooler spring temperatures and a spurt of heavy rain during flowering led to a very light crop. The combination of these created concentration, depth, and substantial density in the fruit. Several short heat spikes and a smaller crop load created optimal conditions for early ripening. We were fortunate to pick everything early, escaping any smoke damage from the devastating wildfires throughout California.