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Our History
We enjoy winemaking since 1994 and create incredible wine
1992
Conversion of the open land to vineyards
1994
Pinot Noir foundation by a group of 6 friends
1997
Vineyards conversion to organic farming
1999
The first release of 500 award-winning wines
Pinot Noir is committed to improving the potential of winemaking. We are proud to offer best-in-class service, gorgeous landscape, and an exceptional wine experience to thousands of visitors every year.
Determining when to harvest requires the outdated tasting as well as simple scientific approach. The grapes sweetness and acidity must be completely balanced, but harvesting also depends heavily on the weather conditions.
Hand-picked grapes must be sorted by quality, removing under-ripe or rotten grapes along with leaves and petioles.
The grapes are ready for de-stemming and crushing after being sorted. These grapes go to a machine that removes the stems. They may be also crushed, either just a little or completely. To make white wine, the process of crush and press must be quick to prevent unwanted tannins and color from leaching into the wine. Red wines are fermented on their skins.
The process of juice fermentation starts naturally during 6 to 12 hours with the help of wild yeasts in the air. The fermentation process will stop when all the sugar will be transformed into alcohol and then dry wine will be produced. But to produce sweet wine, the process should be stopped before the transformation of the sugar. The whole fermentation usually process takes 10 days to 1 month or sometimes more.
The next step of the process is clarification - removal of proteins, dead yeast cells, and tannins. Then we transfer wine into an oak barrel and clarify it with the help of the filtration system which catches the larger particles in the wine. After this, the wine is ready for aging or bottling.
Aging and bottling is the last stage of the winemaking process. There are two options: to give the wine additional aging or to bottle the wine right away. The wine aging in oak barrels will create more vanilla flavored, rounder, and smoother wine. It also rises wine’s exposure to oxygen while it ages, which helps the wine achieve its maximum fruitiness and decreases tannin.
Gregory Bennington
Gregory Bennington opened his interest in wine more than fourteen years ago working at a wine bar in a big city. His urge to get closer to the action led him to Texas where he was inspired by the best winery owners and winemaking professionals while building and managing their wine programs for several local restaurants. Gregory then decided to deepen his interest in winemaking industry and gained a Certificate in Viticulture from the Santa Rosa Junior College. Next he pursued a degree in Enology, Plant Science, and Chemistry, and gained winemaking experience while also experimenting with his favorite wine in his own backyard project. Finally, he embarked upon an extensive search throughout the area for a suitable location to start a commercial vineyard. That was a foundation of the Pinot Noir Winery.
Our team is our proud. Each of the team members is dedicated to creating the finest wines.
Jason ArnoldsHead Winemaker
Albert SawyerChief of Operations
Andrew MorrisJunior Winemaker