What the Hell?

As I tiptoe through the entertainment industry, dabbling in mediums beyond the microphone and my four-stringed piece of electric furniture, I once again find myself venturing into a new foray. What started as an attempt to fill our own personal wine cache has turned into a “boutique” wine venture which I’m sure will eventually cause friction between me and my two good friends/partners, as all businesses tend to do.

Having lived in West Sonoma County for over 14 years, I’ve watched what was once the Gravenstein apple haven of Northern California turn into a Mecca for those wine geeks that seek out optimum quality Pinot Noir. The region is known as the Russian River Valley, and the fruit that comes from this area is arguably some of the best on the planet.

Having forsaken some of my past “indulgences,” I found myself becoming an avid consumer of wines from my neighborhood. After kicking the notion around for a year or two with some pals, it eventually came time to dive in and make some “fancy booze” of our own.

Thanks to Jay Meyer (one partner in the wine crime), what originally started as a one-ton, home winemaking project soon escalated into the acquisition of four tons of premium Pinot Noir fruit and the birth of a project which included three of us sorting in the field at 4AM with lamps strapped to our heads and me standing over a massive stainless steel vat a couple of times a day, for the following twelve days straight, lovingly punching the cap down into the glorious, burgundy colored juice. Over the next several months we would check in regularly, tasting and spitting our way through each barrel, making adjustments here and there until bottling time.

The result is 240 cases of 2007 Russian River Pinot Noir that we aptly named PURPLE PACHYDERM -- albeit after some debate and initial resistance from my other partner Slawek Michalak. (“I do not know this word, 'pachyderm',” he said in his thick Polish accent.)

Frankly, it came out pretty damn good. To avoid the illusion that three fellas who drink vino until their teeth turn purple on a regular basis can just go out and make good wine, I must give props to the guidance we had from our winemaker friends, who will remain nameless, who navigated us along the fermentation highway. We’ve ended up with a California Pinot with a fairly low alcohol content (13.9%), strong color, and good extraction that gives complexity without being overly “jammy.” Coupled with a moderate amount of French oak and some whole cluster fermentation, we have a vino that sits silky in the mouth with a finish that glides away with elegant authority.

I hope you enjoy the product of our toil and, me being a picky bastard, you should take comfort in the notion that you are drinking from my own personal stash.

Enjoy,

Les Claypool