Tyler 2021 Pinot Noir, La Rinconada Vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills

The La Rinconada Pinot comes from a windy hilltop that was planted in 1997 upon beds of elder clay and loam over shale. The combination of the rockier soils and wind-driven days has made the wine one of the more succulent produced by Tyler Winery. The grapes are harvested before they are destemmed into open-top fermenters. Native yeast fermentation starts after about five days before the juice is gently extracted by using punch down and pump-overs. The wine is pressed and then settled before going into oak barrels, a third of which is new. The wine is aged on its lees between 12 to 14 months, before being racked and blended, then transferred back into barrel for another 3-4 months.