Sandler Wine Co. Russian River Valley Pinot Noir Cuvée Ebihara 2023

Viticulture

2023 was a very late harvest for California with lower than average sugar levels and higher than average acid levels.  It was the type of year winemakers talk about, but we won't get to see too often.  The winter of 2022-2023 was very rainy, and also cold for California.  This led to cold and wet roots in the vineyards that delayed budbreak into late March and the beginning of April.  The rest of the growing season was "normal" for us, but with the late start, we never really caught up.  So the harvest began in October, which is on the later side for the early-ripening Pinot Noir.  The fruit quality was outstanding.

89% Graham Family Vineyard, 11% Morris Ranch.

Vinification

Clones:  23 Mariafeld, Dijon 115, 667, 777, 828

Ageing info:  # months in barrel, % of new oak:  10 months in 100% neutral French oak, no new barrels

Destemmed/Whole cluster, any production notes:  100% destemmed, fermented in 5 ton open tops, punched down once per day for 3 weeks.

Tasting notes

The wild berry fruit is earthy with mint and a hint of spice. The tannins are smooth but have presence. Transparent on the palate, cool Russian River Valley character.

Winery Description

Sandler wines are produced in San Francisco by owner and winemaker, Ed Kurtzman.  Ed's journey into winemaking began quite by accident when he took a job at a wine shop during his undergraduate studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.  It wasn't long before Ed realized that wine was more than a passing fancy.  He jettisoned his original career plans, moved to California to sell wine, and soon enrolled in the enology program at Fresno State.  After graduating, Ed embarked on an early career that included stints at a who's who of Central Coast wineries.  He started out in the cellar at Bernardus, under the tutelage of Don Blackburn and Kirby Anderson.  Next, he spent three harvests as assistant winemaker to Michael Michaud at Chalone before taking the reins as head winemaker for Rob and Diana Jensen's Testarossa Winery in Los Gatos.  It was at Testarossa that Ed's deft touch with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay started to gain widespread attention.  Before long, he found himself in demand as a consulting winemaker, taking on clients including Fort Ross, Freeman, Roar and Mansfield-Dunne while becoming a partner in August West.

In 2003, Ed launched his own label, the Sandler Wine Company, devoted to small bottlings of Pinot Noir, Syrah, Zinfandel and Grenache, from his favorite vineyard and grower sources.

Sandler Winemaking

Drawing on his long-standing relationships with top vineyards throughout California's top appellations, Ed has crafted a portfolio of limited production, single vineyard offerings including Pinot Noir from the Bien Nacido Vineyard (Santa Maria Valley), Peterson Vineyard (Santa Lucia Highlands) and Keefer Ranch (Russian River Valley); Syrah from the Connell Vineyard (Bennett Valley); Zinfandel from the Buck Hill Vineyard (Sonoma County); and Grenache as well as Pinot Noir from the Boer Vineyard (Chalone).  Ed vinifies each lot separately, employing low-input winemaking and minimal handling to promote authentic vineyard and vintage flavors in the final wine.  The Sandler Wine Company line-up changes slightly from year to year based upon vintage variables and the addition of new vineyards.

"There are a number of winemakers in California that have a hand in more than one label, but no Pinot Noir vintner that I know of can match the resume of winemaker Ed Kurtzman" - Rusty Gaffney, PinotFile