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Ahhhhh...Weber: Weber is spice and everything nice.

That’s what I always think of whenever I taste this wine. I have worked with this vineyard almost every year since 1994 and still can’t get enough. Arthur & Vivian Weber first planted their vineyard back in 1974 and I feel honored to get some of this precious fruit. We get the top of Blocks 5 and 7, which just fall off the top of the vineyard to the east. These blocks are Pommard clone planted on its own roots in 1985.

The characteristic spiciness must linger in the soil here, because it’s always in the wine. This year think of plum tart with a hint of nutmeg, then seasoned ground almonds and hazelnuts roasted with tons of butter. This is as good as it gets in New World Pinot Noir and stands up with the best in the Whole World.

-Rob Stuart

Appearance: Near opaque dark crimson with a ruby edge

Immediate impression is of black cherry with an array of surprising
suggestions around it; bazaar spices like cardamom, white pepper, caraway.

The mouthfeel is medium weight, softly textured, finely sewn and edged
with beautiful brightness from the acidity, tannins fine and woven into the
whole experience beautifully.

The palate is dense with black cherry, this vineyard’s distinctive persona is
confirmed with sweet ginger and tamarind. It is suffused with layer after
layer of complex and exotic flavors while still retaining great poise.

A lengthy, evenly paced finish with a tea-leaf edge, this is classically
beautiful Pinot noir.

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.