Twelve Clones is Morgan Winery's primary Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir.

The Vineyards
Morgan Twelve Clones Pinot Noir is produced from top quality Santa Lucia Highlands Vineyards. Morgan's organically farmed Double L Vineyard is 40% of the blend, and contributes complexity with 12 different clonal selections of Pinot Noir. The cool Monterey climate and strong Salinas Valley winds combine to form a very long growing season, creating intense, ripe flavors with balancing acidity.

The Vintage
The vintage started late and ran about a month later than normal, due to a cold, wet spring that delayed the fruit set. The summer weather was typical for the region. The Pinot Noir harvest eventually finished in late October, with average crop loads showing intensely flavored fruit that retained much of its natural acidity.

Vinification ' Aging
Grapes are hand-sorted in the vineyards and at the winery and are completely de-stemmed. Whole-berry fermentations are inoculatedwith RC212, D254, and Assmanshausen yeasts, and some native yeast fermentations. Small, open top fermenters with manual punch downs are utilized for optimum extraction while maintaining an elegant structure. The primary fermentation finishes in 10-12 days. The wine is transferred to a combination of medium and medium+ toast Burgundy barrels, of which 40% are new, for malo-lactic fermentation and 11 months of aging. The wine was bottled, unfined, in August .

Aromas, Flavors, and Palate Impressions
Leather, toast, minerals and vanilla, with cherry-berry, rose petal, and some spicy/earthy notes, in a balanced and integrated style. Medium-bodied and broadly structured on the palate. The Santa Lucia Highlands typically produces wines of large-scale ripe fruit and a structured elegance. This cool vintage and the Morgan winemaking team created a wine with finely detailed fruit and a graceful style.

Bottle Size: .750