Pinot Noir

	Varietals:	100% Pinot Noir
	Vineyard:	Minervois
	Appellation:	Languedoc, France
	Sub Appellation:	Minervois
	Fermentation:	Cold soak prior to fermentation. "Pigeage" (punch down) for extra extraction, no post fermentation.
	Wood:	Mature French Oak Barrels
	Aging:	20% of the wine stored 6 months in mature French Oak Barrels.

Winemaker Notes: Classic cherry notes with red fruit, very typical of the variety. Smooth on the palate, subtle oak nuances round off the great mouth feel and long finish.

From the hills of the Languedoc, our Pinot Noir is grown on a limestone "terroir" with a south facing aspect. The free draining soil ensures that the drying winds help encapsulate all the rich ripe berry flavors associated with all our Three Winds wines.

Pinot Noir: Since the Roman Era, Pinot Noir has been cultivated in the Burgundy region of France when the Romans invaded Gaul in the first century AD. This vine, called vitis allobergica, was bred from wild native vines. The Gallic tribes drank a wine they made from these grapes and carefully stored their creation in wooden casks instead of the clay vases the Romans were using at the time. For 300 years the Roman Emperors envied this most unusual wine found near the Cote d'Or close to Beaune.

Centuries later, the Barbarian invaders drove the Romans out of Burgundy and, since they couldn't do without a nip now and then, the wine making was handed down to the peasants who worked the vineyards for the wealthy landowners. Raise a glass to the Catholic church: the true survival of the Pinot Noir points to the Catholic Monks who enhanced its awareness by using it in their sacraments, thus giving their general approval to this liquid luxury. As the years passed, these Monks improved the varietal with patience and meticulous experimentation. By the sixth century Burgundy was divided amongst regional churches forming multiple vineyards in the region, some ultimately sending barrels of wine to the Pope.

In 1789 the French Revolution drastically changed wine making in Burgundy. Seized vineyards from the churches were redistributed to the surviving family members of the region forming tiny vineyards that were independently run. Hence, the Burgundian system evolved and still remains.

France still holds the worlds largest planting of Pinot Noir mostly in the Cote d'Or and Champagne where its sparkle is seen in some of the world's most popular Champagnes. Pinot Noir has since found foster homes is other countries such as Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia, Macedonia, China, Chile, Australia, South Africa, and the western United States.

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