Exemplary reveals itself. Fleetingly.

A Story: My daughter Lola, like this wine, hijacks my senses.

The Cliff Notes: A rich red robe is the color it wears. On the nose it’s an effusive Bing cherry with hints of tan spice, licorice and cola. The attack is smooth and substantial, led by soaring cordial cherry, grilled tenderloin and apricot. It’s ripe, vibrant and lingering, lingering, still lingering, on a vortex of cherry, citrus and soy. The structure is perfectly knit (pearl, stitch, pearl, stitch) from light kiss through to solar plexus transport. We lay this down in our caves for six years before release with the aim of furthering complexity/harmony and bringing its secondary characters to the fore. In-the-pocket drinking upon its release through fifteen years, and more is the goal.

The Building of: Lola is our pinnacle. IMHO this wine is the singular best Pinot Noir out of our cellar in 2019, and perhaps the best that I’ve ever vinified. It is comprised from half each of two barrels from the same cuvée. It was wild-yeast fermented in stainless, 100% barrel aged for 17 months in French oak (one once-filled, one twice-filled). Bottled unfined and unfiltered in March 2021, thereafter cellared in our caves for five more years before release. Our absolute ideal disallowed any Lola made in 2018, nor 2020, but 2019 is a jackpot.

Ageability: Absolutely decant to get it air within its first three years. Well cellared you should anticipate additional complexity and aplomb over its 10 to 20-year drinking horizon.

Vineyards: For 25 years we’ve worked with Dai Crisp and the oldest block of fruit from Temperance Hill’s certified organic vineyard, high in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA. These widely spaced, own-rooted, flopping-cane, 1981-planted old vines, go deep to consistently deliver amazing flavors at a naturally low yield.

— Jim Prosser, owner/winemaker