Valerie | Pinot Noir

Named after Ben’s mother, Valerie, the Matriarch of the Riggs family. Like the variety itself, the name Valerie is of French origin meaning ‘strong, brave, valiant’, and this aptly depicts Ben’s mother. The Valerie Pinot Noir is reflective of its namesake; elegant and refined with fine structure and power.
The Woodside vineyard, where the fruit for this wine is sourced, is a cool climate vineyard planted in a heavy clay. Due to the cooler vintage, the fruit was picked in late April, in the early hours of the morning to help maintain natural acidity. The grapes were crushed directly into open fermenters, with 15% kept as whole bunch to add texture and complexity as well as a little bit of tannin weight. The wine was fermented over an 8-day period and then pressed directly to a mixture of French barriques and puncheons with 20% being new oak. Maturation period was 6 months, after which the wine was packed up to tank and rested for 3 weeks prior to bottling in December.