Meticulously Farmed. Hand Crafted. Exclusively Pinot.
About The Farm
The Nozzari Vineyard was established in 2002 on classic Goldridge Loam soils. With 8x5’ spacing between vines, the four acre vineyard holds 2,800 Dijon Clone plants. After being carefully farmed in the first few years by a notable vineyard management company, the vineyard remained untouched for four years prior to the end of 2020. Despite the resident flock of sheep’s best efforts, the vineyard slowly turned into a blackberry nest. It took over two months to cut back the years of blackberries in order to get to the vines themselves. With some meticulous cuts and consistent attention from the Spur Road crew, the vineyard is making its way back to its former glory.
Why Pinot Noir?
There are a combination of reasons that make this finicky grape a grower’s headache to produce. Pinot Noir buds early on the vine making it susceptible to spring frosts and its thin skin makes it prone to disease. This variety needs just the right amount of sunlight, accompanied by cold nights and cooler, foggy mornings. Just like Goldilocks, every element needs to be just right. Pinot Noir is the ultimate winemaker’s grape, despite its fickleness in the vineyard, it is such an incredible vessel to convey a sense of place and showcase it in the finished wine. Each vintage is captured so uniquely, no two are ever the same.
Spur Road White Wine
With bountiful 2023 Vintage projections, Sam and Amanda chose to take a risk and flex their creative winemaking skills. A little less than a ton of Pinot Noir was picked from Nozzari Vineyard a week early. The purple skinned, white fleshed grape was pressed by basket press the moment it came into the winery. It was subsequently fermented in a stainless steel barrel. This wine is a uniquely stunning twist on a classic.
Pinot Blanc was the dream fruit when looking to add a white wine to the Spur Road line-up. The aim is to craft an aromatic, acid driven white wine that’s complex yet easy to drink and enjoy with family and friends.
The Label
Inspired by our name and chosen pruning method, our label depicts a newly budding vine that had been pruned over the dormant season. We were initially drawn to the technical aspects of vineyard operations, but quickly embraced the necessity of both practical knowledge and artistry. This label is an expression of the duality that has captured us over the past few years, tending to the vines and crafting wine in the cellar. The label initially communicates the beauty of a newly broken bud, but as the bottle is rotated, its anatomical and technical roots are illustrated. This label was designed by the brilliant Michael Leslie, a dear friend of the winemakers.