Grand Vent Vineyard Pinot Noir 2014

Petaluma Gap

THE VINEYARD:
Wind dictates everything at this 15-acre vineyard in Sonoma County. The parcel sits in the mouth of the Petaluma Gap, where a blend of unique terroir, cool climate, and consistent wind yields long hang times that allow flavors to mature slowly and steadily. The majority of the vineyard is Pinot Noir with clones of Pommard 4, Dijon 113, and 667. In his book, A New California Wine, Jon Bonne describes the vineyard as “perhaps the most challenging vineyards [in all of California].” Considering the intense flavors of the grapes from this location, we’re happy to take on the challenge of working with grapes farmed from here.

LABEL STORY:
Erin’s great aunt, Mary Ellen “Dude” Barton, an honoree in the Cowgirl Hall of Fame, inspires The Wrangler as a true original. Fittingly, this wine expresses the personality of Pinot Noir with strength and precision.  She competed against the men and usually won.

TASTING NOTE:
Dense coloration hints at the intensity of this bold and enticing Pinot Noir with intriguing sappy aromas that include wild berries, rose hips and wet earth.  The palate is lush yet savory with balanced acidity and present tannins with notes of dried herbs, forest floor and a touch of tanned leather.

Clones: Pommard, 667, 113
Aging: 35% New French Oak, 18 months
Cases Produced: 192
Alc. BY Vol: 13.2

Single Vineyard

Ernest Vineyards specializes in site-specific wines. Each of our wines comprises grapes from one vineyard and one vineyard only. For our Ernest labels, we use grapes from seven sites in all. Some sites are valley floor, some are on hillsides. Some face west, all are considered cold-climate. We work closely with growers and vineyard managers at each site to dial-in the farming to adhere to a style that maximizes flavor ripeness while keeping sugars down and acidity high. The result: Wines that are pure expressions of the sites from which they came.

Current Releases

The Bombardier H. Klopp Vineyard Chardonnay 2018 Sonoma Coast

The Jester Fallenleaf Vineyard Chardonnay 2018 Sonoma Coast

The Settler Cleary Ranch Pinot Noir 2018 Sonoma Coast

The Wrangler Grand Vent Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018 Petaluma Gap

The Aviator Henry David Vineyard Aligoté 2018 Bennett Valley

The Farmer Cleary Ranch Chardonnay 2017 Sonoma Coast

The Engineer Romanini Vineyard Pinot Noir 2017 Sonoma Coast

The Grandfather Rayhill Vineyard Pinot Noir 2017 Sonoma Coast

Past Vintages

Rosé

We produce rosé under the Eugenia label; our current release, from the 2019 vintage, include two different wines. One—The Country Wife—is a rosé of cinsault, and is just like all of our other single-vineyard wines, made with grapes from one vineyard and one vineyard only. Another—The Motley—is a rosé of pinot noir, and is a blend from our very coldest pinot noir sites.

Current Releases

The Country Wife San Lucas Vineyard Rosé of Cinsault 2019 Central Coast

The Motley Rosé of Pinot Noir 2019 Sonoma Coast

Past Vintages

Edaphos

In addition to Ernest and Eugenia, we own and operate a third label: Edaphos (pronounced ee-dah-fos). It means “base,” “ground,” and “soil” in Greek; we felt it was a good expression of our attitude behind this winemaking. We consider this part of our business to be our “laboratory,” the place where we make small-lot wines that incorporate new and exciting approaches to winemaking with different styles and off-beat grape varietals. Sometimes we also call it our “sandbox.” The Edaphos strategy enables us to explore, experiment, and apply some of the lessons we learn to wines we make under our other labels. It also allows us to produce different wines whenever we feel like making them.

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Visit Us

Our Tasting Room is open daily, 10am-4pm in Windsor. We offer varying wine tasting selections that span releases and varietals. View current tasting selections and pricing below.

Wine Club

Our Ernest Family wine clubs offer our customers convenient twice yearly delivery of our special, limited-production wines. Each shipment during our Fall and Spring releases is curated with a mix of wines expressing the best of the vintage.