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This is very exciting. Andy Humphrey has been manager of Weber for quite a while now and happily for all, Vivian & Arthur Weber (see Extended Info) sold the top and the west-facing slope of their vineyard to Andy and he renamed it Ana. You can ask Andy what it means.

The Ana vineyard is among the oldest in the Dundee Hills. The Webers planted Block 4 in 1976. Again, it is Pommard on its own roots. It is just a tractor-width away from the Weber block 5 and 7, yet the difference is amazing! Never have I seen such a clear illustration of how the age of the vines can make such a difference.

Notes

Appearance: Near opaque dark crimson with a ruby edge

A sweet basil underlay carries a bouquet of wild roses up into the nose, extremely alluring, a hint of sassafras.

Medium weight, the wine’s texture is of polished silk, seamless.

Intense expressions of fruit in the palate include red cherry, pomegranate and red currant, spotlighted by a corona of vivid acidity.

There is a hint of something akin to sweet wood, sandalwood perhaps, in the backstage, another aspect of the tannic structure which is present but skillfully discrete.

The finish is again long and integrated, revealing great winemaking skill in the gentle conclusion of such an intense experience.

2008 Vintage Report

If ever there was a year when waiting paid off - this was it. We started off with a cold, wet spring, which set the stage for a smaller yield & a late bloom (July 3rd for most vineyards). Still, by then my instincts were telling me this could be a stunning vintage - and it was.

So what made 2008 so fantastic? Was it the short crop? Was it the cold spring? That's part of the story, but it's mostly about the finale. Each week of October brought a forecast of rain. Rain, rain, and more rain. Still, I wasn't read to pick. And guess what, each week the rain miraculously stayed away. We just had nice cool weather all month long. And we waited. By the end of the month we were bringing in fruit that was as close to perfect as it gets. All that cool weather allowed the flavors to develop to their maximum perfection, with the ideal structure of higher acid and modest tannins.
- Rob Stuart

At R. Stuart & Co. we hang our hat on blended Pinot noirs. The Big Fire Pinot and the Autograph are really the cornerstones of what we do.

Having said that, it’s still lots of fun to make single vineyard Pinot noirs. In 2007 I made six of them. All in small lots – just about 100 cases each – and all are unfined and unfiltered. We age them each for about 10 months in a combination of new to 5 year old French oak.

Taste and explore these wines for yourself.  Watching them unfold over the years is a fascinating and delicious pastime – I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.