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Wine Description
The Story
The rich, opulent Pinot Noir and Chardonnay crafted at Marcassin is minimally produced and very hard to get a hold of. Helen Turley's personal production philosophy shapes her winemaking process to be focused on quality and excellence always calling for, "great vineyards, meticulously farmed, limited yield, long hang time, and natural yeast." The 20-acre estate vineyard on the Sonoma Coast produces only 100 barrels annually. None of the wines interact with fining, filtering, or cold stabilization and are routinely aged for five years before they're released. This is among California's most highly acclaimed, intimidatingly rare treasure: Marcassin.
Vintage 1996
Napa Valley 1996 / An unseasonably warm winter with substantial rainfall launched the 1996 growing season with an early bud break. A cool spring was followed by intermittent rain during the May bloom period, causing shatter in many vineyards and reducing the potential crop size. A relatively warm summer with several heat spells speeded veraison and ripening, while a cooling trend in September allowed grape flavors to catch up with sugars, bringing the fruit into excellent balance. Smaller clusters and a light crop resulted in deeply flavored grapes, with the overall harvest down by 20-30%.