2005 Keefer Ranch Pinot Noir

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Vineyards:	Keefer Ranch, Russian River Valley 100%
Fermentation:	5 day cold soak in open top fermenters, hand punched down 1 to 3 times per day, free run sent directly to barrel, press wine settled and barreled separately
Barrel Aging:	10 months in 100% French oak, 32% new, 47% one year old, and 21% two year old barrels
Bottled:	July 25, 2006
Production:	440 cases 750 ml

Freeman's only vineyard-designated Pinot Noir comes from Marcy Keefer's ranch located in the Russian River Valley, on Green Valley School Road. The Russian River Valley is a broad appellation in Sonoma County with quite a few areas of different microclimates. It is warm enough in the northern part for grapes like Zinfandel and Cabernet, but in the southern and western parts, the Russian River Valley is much cooler, and is perfectly suited for Pinot Noir. Keefer Ranch sits in the center the Green Valley, which has always been considered one of California's ideal spots for Pinot Noir. Marcy, her son Craig, and their small crew hand-farm the Keefer Ranch year round with no outside help at all.

2005 might go down in history as the first perfect Pinot Noir vintage of this millennium, at least in the Russian River Valley. Although in many younger vineyards and sites closer to the coast there was some crop-reducing rain during flowering and set, the Keefer Ranch had perfect weather at this crucial time. Thanks to the meticulous attention to detail by Marcy, Craig and crew, the large crop at Keefer was thinned down to the perfect size just after veraison. Having a balanced crop size was extremely important in 2005 since the temperature never broke 90 degrees at the Keefer Ranch all summer. In such cool weather only the right amount of fruit on the vine would ripen this well.

Ed's favorite clone that he has encountered so far in his winemaking career is Clone 23. Freeman had the good fortune in 2005 of receiving 8 tons from Keefer of this flowery, Burgundian (even though it comes from Switzerland) clone. We also took in a ton of Swan selection, 5 tons of Clone 777, and 3 tons of Clone 114. It was an excellent year for seeing how each clone performs on its own, and how well they blend in the finished wine.

The 2005 Keefer Vineyard Pinot Noir starts with an intriguing, tell-tale Clone 23 nose that seems to change ever so delicately each time you smell the wine. There is plenty of acidity to go along with some wonderfully spicy fruit on the palate. In many ways, the '05 Keefer is remarkably similar to Freeman's 2004 version, but with less new oak in the nose and on the finish. We expect the '05 Keefer to age gracefully for many years, but with its solid core of fruit, it can also be enjoyed at a young age.