The Times Weekly sat down with Gary Farrell Vineyards tasting salon and estate manager, sommelier Kevin Patterson, to discuss the 2017 Russian River Selection Pinot Noir and 2017 Hallberg Vineyard Pinot Noir. The two wines serve as an interesting exploration into the French concept of terroir. Dwight Casimere elaborates that, “it (terroir) means more than simply the ground that the grapes are grown in or the weather conditions under which they are developed […] It is a word that is all encompassing, as is the experience of drinking wine.”
Patteson elaborates that at Gary Farrell, where the winemaking team has the privilege of working with some of the finest vineyards in the Russian River Valley, evaluate terroir by asking questions such as “Is this wine that we’re tasting from the barrel going to be part of an orchestra, or is it a soloist?” This helps determine the single vineyard bottlings and the selection bottlings.
The article reviews both wines, giving high praise to each. The Russian River Selection Pinot Noir 2017 is rewarded for its “pronounced fruit notes of red cherries and raspberries […] the wine really takes you on a journey.” The Hallberg Pinot Noir is described as “sui generis” or “a thing apart or in a class of its own.”
To learn more about Gary Farrell and terroir, read the full article here.
GFW_TimesWeekly_9.24.2020