2023 Provocateur WV Pinot Noir

Absolutely clear in its red tyranny 

The Cliff Notes: Limpid, brilliant, garnet is the color. The nose reveals passionfruit, spice, oak, fennel then broadens to chocolate Necco wafer and the enticing “burnt ends” of BBQ brisket. The palate shows cherry and citrus, leaning on orange. Give it some air, and it ends as a highly drinkable cherry Jolly Rancher.

The Name: Provocateur? Well, if the name fits, just put on those vestments.

A Story: The 2023 vintage was our most cutting-edge and intense farming year yet. In addition to our certified organics and dry farming we threw everything at it — sheep, sap-flow pruning, compost tea, 24-element xylem/phloem analysis-based nutrition, high-mowing cover crop, and on-farm built compost at scale. In the measure of warm/power vs. cool/grace of the vintage the needle fell pretty close to midnight. We’ll take that.

Fermentation: Small-lot wild yeast fermentations in open-top wood and stainless steel tanks. Limited pre-ferment maceration, followed by minimal, but targeted temperature and punch-down intervention.

Elevage: 100% barrel aged for 14 months in in 12% new French oak. Racked and bottled unfined and unfiltered in December 2024.

Ageability: Drink now to seven years and think about getting it some air in the first three.

Vineyards: From our St. Dolores Estate (15 years), Gemini Vineyard (30 years), and Temperance Hill (43 years). All vineyards are dry-farmed.

— Jim Prosser, owner/winemaker