Goatman
Pinot Noir
5 wells vineyard
russian river valley
sonoma county
The smallest lot we make, from the blocks that give us the most every year. Picked on its own, kept on its own, bottled last.
The top selection
Winemaking
The hill makes most of the decisions.
Our job is to maintain the authenticity of the fruit. Pick each block when it is at optimal ripeness, keep the best lots apart, and let a cold site do what a cold site does.
The approach
Terroir driven, and we mean it.
Every choice here is based on the same starting point: the ground. The wines are grown and made to express this one ridge and its terroir.
That is the whole brief. A wine from this site should taste like this site, in a year that tasted like a specific vintage. Anything we do in the cellar that blurs those authentic flavors is the wrong move.
The decisions
Four that matter the most.
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Pick when optimal
Three hundred feet of fall means the top of the vineyard and the bottom of it are never ready on the same day. We pick each block in the middle of the night to keep the fruit cool. Picks are dictated by the clones and the microclimate within the vineyard.
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Keep the best lots apart
Five barrels are chosen to represent 5 Wells in the Goatman selection each year. Each contributor is a portion of a block that is picked on its own, barreled on its own, and bottled last.
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Let the fruit speak
We use a lighter application of new French oak than many. We want the oak to express the terroir, not to mask it. Picking at the right time also allows us to avoid the need for water and acid additions.
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Leave the acids alone
A cold site hands you natural acidity and the temptation is to soften it. We would rather bottle a wine that is still standing up straight in ten years than one that is easy in its first six months.
In bottle
What came of it.
Three wines from one hill, all of them from the 2024 vintage, all grown on the 5 Wells Vineyard.
The wines
Three wines. One hill.
Goatman
Pinot Noir
5 wells vineyard
russian river valley
sonoma county
The whole hill in one glass. Red fruit up front, black tea and dried herb behind it, and a line of acid running straight through the middle.
The estate wine
Rosé of
Pinot Noir
5 wells vineyard
russian river valley
sonoma county
Not a by-product of the red. These rows are picked early and picked for this, which is why it comes out dry, pale and tight rather than sweet.
Picked for rosé
The proof
Other people's cellars are the real review.
We are not the only ones who wanted this fruit.
5 Wells Vineyard is a classic representation on how terroir, or sense of place, can be showcased in Sonoma County. The unique site, quality of clones planted and precision farming contribute to creating a wine with a signature all of its own.Pete Soergel
Director of Winemaking, Lynmar Estate
Five Wells is an exceptional vineyard that produces beautiful site-specific wines. Farmed impeccably, the grapes yield some of the most beautiful and iconic wines we have ever crafted.Melissa Stackhouse
Winemaker, Dutton-Goldfield Winery
Wineries that have bottled this fruit
- Kosta Browne
- Dutton-Goldfield
- Lynmar Estate
- Croix Estate
- Sanguis
- Kerr Cellars
- Adversity Cellars
- Claypool Cellars
- Maritana Vineyards
- Lando Wines