By a wide and clear margin, our favorite Pinot noir that's come from Justice grapes. A purity and intensity of aromatics ushers you to a first sip of this magically-textured masterpiece. Creamy and mouth-coating are exactly right yet it floats gracefully and moves harmoniously from bright beginning to exceptionally lengthy finish. -Marcus
High-toned aromatic power, dusty red cherry, turned earth, sage, flower petal and warm spices in the nose. Juicy and bright entry fills immediately to mouth-coating, supple tannins—the creamiest we have found in a Justice bottling. The finish is crisp and pure, the spiced fruits carrying the wine beautifully against perfectly balanced acidity.
Violin's Will Hamilton spent several years with Justice Vineyard as his daily winemaking view; he made his wines at Walter Scott until the 2017 vintage.
Justice Vineyard was planted by the Casteel Family of Bethel Heights Vineyard between 1999 and 2001, after more than 20 years of farming their adjacent vines using organic and certified sustainable methods. Under the direction of Ted Casteel and their long time team, Justice is managed to the highest standard, and by its nature has proven to be a low yielding vineyard for Pinot Noir. The wines have a distinctive structural tone, a sort of bold intensity that sets them apart.
Our version comes exclusively from the 1.2 acre “DDW” block, the only wine produced from a single clone in the portfolio (777). The vines see some late day shading from the tree line along Bethel Heights Road, and the deeper volcanic soils allow for better balance and vigor than other parts of the site. The ’19 was used in the co-fermentation with Lewman, but we kept a 2.6 ton ferment separate, including 10% as whole cluster. Aged on lees in French oak (one third new) for 15 months before spending a month in tank prior to bottling on January 20th, 2020.