2019 Orin Swift Slander Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills Sonoma

Staying humble and letting the grapes do the talking is how we get better at winemaking every vintage. Pinot Noir requires even more humility, especially in the vineyards—when the grapes are ready, they ’re ready . Requiring a gentle r approach with punchdowns rather than pumpovers, Pinot Noir expresses itself when it is least manipulated. Sourced primarily from the Sta. Rita Hills AVA on the Central Coast, along with prominent vineyards across the state such as the Annapolis Rid g e vineyard on the Sonoma Coast and the Del Rio vin eyard in the Russian River Valley, the 2019 Slander is a union of California Pinot Noir made with the Orin Swift signature style. 

Emerging from the bottle with a glowing cardinal hue, the 2019 Slander opens with a mouthwatering nose of bright strawberry and Rainier cherry with shades of milk chocolate, passion fr u it and pink guava. The palate is refined, incredibly balanced and energetic throughout with ripples of acidity; notes of cranberry, sweet cherry pie, sour plum, black mission fig , graham cracker and chocolate covered almond. The wine closes with a mediating acidity and an almost unnoticeable dash of oak tannin.