/12
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Brian Loring began his obsession with Pinot Noir while in college. As a winemaker, his philosophy is that the fruit is everything. He believes that what happens in the vineyard determines the quality of the wine.
Loring Wine Company was founded by Brian Loring and his sister, Kimberly.
As a college student, Brian Loring worked in a wine shop in Hollywood, CA. This was where his obsession for Pinot Noir was born. His first experiences with Pinot Noir were from producers like Domaine Dujac, Henri Jayer, and Domaine de la Romanée Conti (DRC) – top growers in the Côte d’Or.
Brian became very excited about California Pinot Noir when he met Norm Beko from Cottonwood Canyon. In 1997, Norm offered to let Brian come learn the wine making process. After checking sugar levels, picking grapes, crushing, punching down, pressing, and filling barrels, he was totally hooked. He ended up making two barrels of Pinot Noir; thus began the Loring Wine Company.
Brian Loring's philosophy is that the fruit is everything; what happens in the vineyard determines the quality of the wine. Great grapes picked at the right time equals good wine. When choosing vineyards to buy grapes from, he not only looks for the right soil, micro-climate, and clones, but also a grower with the same dedication to producing great wine.
The vineyards:
Cargasacchi Vineyard - located at the far western edge of the Sta. Rita Hills appellation; soil type is the Botella series, a composition of both clay and loam that has a fairly high calcareous content, which drains well and helps moderate yields; 12 acres are all planted to clone 115 Pinot noir on two different rootstocks - 3309C (low to moderate vigor) and 420A (low vigor).
Clos Pepe Vineyard - located in the Santa Rita Hills area of Santa Barbara County; area where clone 667 comes from is "steep and chunky"; clone 115 from the lower portion of the vineyard.
Durell Vineyard - located in the hills overlooking the town of Sonoma; a 135 acre vineyard, of which Loring Wine Company gets 2 acres; vineyards extend from the southern end of the Sonoma Valley into the western portion of the cool Carneros region; afternoon breezes that slow ripening, producing richer-flavored grapes.
Gary's Vineyard - joint effort between Gary Franscioni and Gary Pisoni; located in Monterey County, near Soledad, CA; 50 acres, of which Loring Wine Company gets 3acres; the clone planted is the Pisoni clone.
Graham Family Vineyard - lies in a small sub-appellation of the Russian River Valley AVA called Green Valley, which is less than 10 miles from the Pacific Ocean; 14 acres, of which Loring Wine Company gets 2 acres; planted in 2002, it features Pinot noir clones 667, 777, 828, Swan, and Calera.
Keefer Ranch Vineyard - Keefer Ranch is farmed by Marcy Keefer and her son Craig Strehlow. The clones are a nice mixture of Dijon 114, 115, 777, Pommard 5, Mariafeld (23), Wädenswil (2A), Swan and Calera. The vineyard is located in the Russian River Valley's Green Valley appellation; sits near the headwaters of Green Valley Creek and is planted on gentle, well-drained slopes with Goldridge soil; grows 40 acres of Pinot noir and 10 acres of Chardonnay grapes.
Rancho La Vina Vineyard - family owned and operated ranch located on the central coast of California in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA; 2,800 acre property is what remains of the Santa Rosa Land Grant which was purchased in the 1860's; 100 acres of Pinot noir planted in 2001; site features Gazos (moderately deep to bedrock, well drained soils that formed in material weathered from sandstone and shale) clay-loam, Ballard fine sandy-loam, and Sta. Lucia shaly clay-loam soils.
Rosella's Vineyard - owned by Gary Franscioni; located in Monterey County, near Soledad, CA; one acre each of 667, 777, 828, and Pisoni clones.
Sierra Mar Vineyard - Gary Franscioni's new vineyard in Santa Lucia Highlands; south of Gary's vineyard and way up on the hillside.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"Offers focused black fruits with notes of licorice and florals in the nose. The palate shows excellent balance and finesse with lilac, dark cherry and spice, elegantly proportioned. Riveting wine."
folder Click Here for List of Downloadable Documents.
| Unit | Units/Case | Type | UPC - bottle | SRP/Unit |
| 750ml | 12 | Glass | 8 96641 00202 8 | $55.00 |
100% destemmed and crushed. Fermented in small (0.75 ton) fermenters. Three to six day cold soak and then inoculated with Assmanshausen yeast. One punchdown a day (by hand). Pressed directly to barrel. Racked once after ML completed.
All meats, ranging from salmon, Ahi Tuna, pork, and duck, to heartier fare such as beef and lamb.
"This full-bodied but far from heavy wine has wonderful aromatic complexity, evoking Bing cherries, black tea, clove and pine forest, while the flavors gush with red cherry and rhubarb. The slightly lean and crisp balance combines with bright and layered flavors in an appealing way. Best through 2020. - Jim Gordon"
- Wine Enthusiast Magazine (December 1st 2015), 92 pts + Cellar Selection
"Brilliant ruby-red. High-pitched red fruits and Asian spices on the perfumed nose. Silky in texture and nicely concentrated, offering fresh, spice-tinged raspberry and cherry compote flavors and a kick of dusty minerality. Finishes with echoing spiciness, lingering minerality and very suave tannins.- Josh Raynolds"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (August 2015), 92 pts
"Very complete, with a refreshing core of snappy blueberry and wild berry, picking up a spicy edge and firming on the finish. Drink now. 300 cases made. –JL"
- Wine Spectator (June 31th 2015), 89 pts
- Wine Enthusiast Magazine (May 1st 2014), 92 pts + Cellar Selection
"Shows generous, up-front fruitiness, with plum, black cherry and raspberry notes. Turns delicate and graceful on the finish, accented by wilted rose details. Drink now through 2022. 400 cases made. –JL"
- Wine Spectator (June 15th 2014), 90 pts
