Domaine Carneros grows over 20 clones of Pinot Noir, each one hand selected for their unique contributions to our sparkling and still wines. In years when one clone shines bright, we choose to release it separately. We first bottled the Pommard clone (aka UCD 5) separately in 2009, and since then we have kept our eye on this consistent performer. This single block wine was handled with gentle destemming of the fruit, and a traditional Burgundian-style open top fermentation that allows the delicate nature of the Pommard fruit its full and unadorned expression. Élevage commenced with only the free run wine going to barrel. Of the 22 barrels selected for the final blend, 11 were new (50%) featuring the cooperages of Eric Millard, CaVin, and Francois-Freres. The individual barrels were selected for flavor and restraint to complement the texture of this unique Pinot Noir.
