2002 Robert Mondavi Winery Pinot Noir Huichica Hills

The racy dark berry, floral and earthy truffle notes in our 2002 Huichica Hills Pinot Noir come from the finest slopes of our vineyard in the Los Carneros region. Huichica (wee-CHEEK-ka) was the local Native American tribe’s name for the small burrowing owls that live in Los Carneros’ creek beds and windswept hills. These owls were believed to have supernatural powers. Fermentation with wild yeast and aging in new toasted Burgundian barrels wove even more magic through the rich Pinot Noir character. The exceptionally intense and silky flavors of this limited-production, vineyard-designated wine reflect the small, concentrated yields of the 2002 vintage.

The 37th harvest at Robert Mondavi Winery began on August 22, with the traditional Blessing of the Grapes. Cool temperatures through spring and summer led to a light Pinot Noir crop with very small berry size. Although rainfall was average (36”), forty-percent fell in December, and spring was relatively dry. September and October brought warm periods of very low humidity, further concentrating flavors. All grape varieties were crushed by the last week of October. We harvested the Pinot Noir grapes for this wine from the north slopes of our Huichica Hills Vineyard on September 3 and 4.