A special cuvée created in memory of the late Mr. Ebiwara, who introduced Sandler to the Japanese market.
89% Graham Family Vineyards Pinot Noir, 11% Morris Ranch Pinot Noir.
The 2023 harvest started fairly late in California with lower than average sugars and higher than average acidity. The 2022-2023 winter was very wet and cool, which led to cool, wet conditions for the vineyard roots and delayed budbreak to late March/early April. The rest of the growing season was normal for us, but we got a late start and were unable to catch up as a result. Harvest began in October, which is late for early-ripening Pinot Noir. Fruit quality was excellent.
Clones: 23 Mariafeld, Dijon, 115, 667, 777, 828
All destemmed, fermented open-top in 5-ton barrels, punched down daily for 3 weeks.
Aged 10 months in 100% neutral French oak barrels.
The wild berry fruit flavor is earthy with a hint of mint and spice. The tannins are smooth but have a strong presence. The taste is clear and takes advantage of the cool Russian River Valley flavors.
Sandler Wines are produced in San Francisco by owner and winemaker Ed Kurtzman. Ed's journey into winemaking began with a job working in a wine shop while attending the University of Massachusetts Amerset. He soon realized this was his calling and moved to California to pursue wine, immediately enrolling in the Enology program at Fresno State University. After graduating, he gained experience at Bernardus in Carmel, Sharon Vineyard, and other vineyards, before taking on the role of head winemaker at Testarossa Winery, where his mastery of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay quickly garnered widespread attention. He eventually became a consulting winemaker with notable winery clients such as Fort Ross, Freeman, Loar, and Mansfield Dunne, and partnered with August West before founding his own brand, Sandler, in 2003. Sandler purchases quality grapes from trusted growers and farms, including Bien Nacido in the Santa Maria Valley and Kiefer Ranch in the Russian River Valley, and produces small batches of Pinot Noir, Syrah, Zinfandel and Grenache.
Rusty Gaffney of Pinot File, a wine rating organization that specializes in Pinot Noir, said of Ed, "There are many multi-label winemakers in California, but no Pinot Noir winemaker I know of can match the résumé of winemaker Ed Kurtzman."
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