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Old-World Style Pinot

2009, 2010 Elke Vineyards Blue Diamond Pinot Noir
Donnelly Creek Vineyard, Anderson Valley

We farmers really "paid our dues" in the 2008 growing season. So, 2009 was a welcome return to more normal relations with Mother Nature. A relatively cool, dry spring and summer provided the cold nights needed to maintain grapes' essential acidity - the only exception being heat waves in late August and early September, which actually allowed us in the cooler growing regions to play catch-up. Pinot Noir generally had an excellent year, comparable to 2007. This wine has acidity AND zip, but with perfumed layers and good balance. It's a classic Blue Diamond.
Production: 840 cases 750 mL 18 cases 1.5 L

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Old-World Style Pinot

2007, 2008 Elke Vineyards Blue Diamond Pinot Noir
Donnelly Creek Vineyard, Anderson Valley

The Elke Blue Diamond lineage of Pinot Noir embodies the bright fruit characters and the earthy minerality that is becoming so enamored of Anderson Valley Pinot Noirs. Patient winemaking and a blending of Pinor Noir clones enables the original Elke Pinot to consistently scores between 90 to 95. Its the Donnelly Creek fruit that makes this the signature label of the Elke family. The Blue Diamond shows depth and complexity with a refreshing fruit that carries blackberry, casis, and other berry overtones. It has excellent balance, medium body, and a long velvety finish. The Blue Diamond is made for aging in your cellar, pulling a bottle out every six months to track its path. We try to keep the alcohol just under 14% over all the vintages. It's aged in new and used French oak for 12 months, typically with 30% in new. Production tends to be in the 700-800 case range.

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New-World Style Pinot

2009, 2010 Mary Elke Pinot Noir
Anderson Valley

The Mary Elke Pinot Noirs are composed of fruit from any of the four Pinot Noir clones we grow. We try to reflect the cool climate and soils of the Anderson Valley with a blend that takes advantage of that year's harvest. We blend between 50% to 90% of the Donnelly Creek fruit with other fruit from other vineyards. It changes from year to year so we just cite the label as 100% Anderson Valley. Typically we're after rich fruit flavors and a slight spice element, with some slight mid-palate tannin, to produce a “bigger” style Pinot Noir that many modern drinkers of Pinot Noir prefer, or what some refer to as "New World." We typically produce about 800 cases, one year we did 1200, but it always sells out because we try to keep the costs down. Again we think the alcohol at about 14% is just ideal. It's aged a little less than the Blue Diamond and while we do both new and used oak, it's typically less new barrels than our Blue Diamond efforts. They are typically bottled in July and then released in October after several months of sampling.

Trade Accounts:
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Elke-Style Pinot

2009, 2010 Mary Elke Pinot Noir
"Boonville Barter"

Boonville Barter is available ONLY online and at the Elke Winery. It's not sold in stores. That's because we really do use it for local bartering here in Boonville, but it use to be our family wine. We can't go sneaking into the Pinot we sell every night, so the Boonville Barter started to satisfy all the Elke men and all the vineyards workers, not to mention the constant stream of friends who arrive and expect drink.

We try to make Boonville Barter from the blocks left over on our Donnelly Creek vineyard, but sometimes we need a barrel or two from a neighboring winery, but it's always100% Anderson Valley. So the appellation is Anderson Valley but sometimes other stock gets in. Frankly, like people, mixing it up gets interesting results. So if the Elke men keep coming back, night after night, you might try some too. Our visitors at the winery in Boonville always seem to carry away a case or two.

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Food-Loving Pinot Gris

2009, 2010 Mary Elke Pinot Gris

The Elke Family has grown Pinot Gris in Anderson Valley since 1990. Most of the grapes are sold for sparkling wine but lately we've been holding back selling them all because they are so good. The wine expresses the cool climate and minerality of the Anderson Valley and is simply a "lovely" white wine, best enjoyed with fish, white meats and complex dishes. It is clean, crisp while retaining good acid and bright fruit characters.

Party-Loving Brut

NV Mary Elke Brut

For more than two decades the Elke Family has grown Pinot Noir and Chardonnay first for Mumm Napa, and later for Roederer Estates. We have become aficionados of sparkling wine, and when the opportunity to have some made under our own label arose, we jumped at it. This brut is made from grapes grown in select Mendocino vineyards. It is 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir. It has a 1.2 wine dosage and on Tirage for 7 months. A yeasty sparkler with a tinge of sweetness it compliments almost any food. Alc. 12.5%.