2021 Assiduous Pinot Noir 'Regan Vineyard'

Santa Cruz Mountains, California

Winemaking: The grapes were hand harvested at 23.3° Brix. I usually like to do some whole cluster on the pinot but the grapes were 100% de-stemmed, as the rachis were a bit greener and would have imparted undesirable flavors. Indigenous yeasts and bacteria carried out both primary and secondary fermentations. The wine was aged in neutral French oak barrels for 10 months. Regan Vineyard is in the cooler area of the SCM AVA which lends to a pinot noir with high acidity, so the lees were stirred occasionally to help soften the wine. This wine is... Unfined. Unfiltered. Unadulterated.

Ingredients: Grapes and sulfur. That’s it!

Tasting Notes: Light red hue. The wine has an overarching earthy/soil like aroma. Secondary scents of cranberry, lavender, and orange blossom fill the nose. On the palate, this wine's acidity and tannins creates a feeling of tension followed by a lasting savory quality. As with most SCM wines the wine is approachable now but will be able to sit in the cellar for some years to come!

Analysis:
Alcohol- 13.9%
pH- 3.62
TA- 6.2 g/L
RS- 0.03 g/L, bone dry
Malic- 0.11g/L, fully completed

About Assiduous Wines
Winemaker and vineyard manager Keegan Mayo was born in Hawai’i and raised in Santa Cruz, and produces minimal intervention, food friendly wines with a real sense of place. His first introduction into the wine industry was working for a few summers at Split Rail Vineyard in Corralitos. He graduated from UC Davis Viticulture and Enology Program in 2008. While attending school he spent a harvest with Mumm in Napa as a cellar hand and grape sampler.  In 2009, he spent the vintage with Church Road Winery in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, before settling into a nearly nine year tenure with Testarossa Winery, where he eventually became the Assistant Winemaker. He only produces wines from the Santa Cruz Mountains.