2023 Nakai Vyd. Pinot Noir
Clones:  828, 777, 667, 115, and Swan
Russian River Valley—Sonoma County
14.2% ABV
91 cases produced

Aki Nakai has lived on and farmed his vineyard on the Wood Road bench for decades. His meticulous care combined with the extended hangtime of the site yields plush, complex fruit. Grapes like Aki’s demand our best, and one of the most rewarding parts of winemaking is to honor his work with ours.

The 2023 Nakai Pinot Noir is our third release from this vineyard. We’re really hitting our stride with this vineyard: its strengths are geared towards complexity and subtlety, and leaning into that has allowed the wine to exhibit prominent floral aromaticsthat outpunch the core red fruit character that Russian RiverValley delivers.

Moreover, I’m very fond of the refined structure this vineyard reliably yields. So much Pinot Noir is made with an aggressive oak program, relying on the wood to give structure and complexity where the other fruit might not have it. This wine is made with very little oak influence–no new barrels at all–which allows the elegance and polish to shine unobstructured. The tannins are more than moderately firm,but they rise and fall seamlessly.