| Cherry Pie is another innovative offering from visionary winemaker Jayson Woodbridge, creator of Hundred Acre and Layer Cake Wines. One would think with the myriad winemaking projects that literally take him and his winemaking team around the globe several times each year, that Jayson would be content with his current stable of wines…but he has yearned to make Pinot Noir for years and circumstances finally aligned for him to do just that. Jayson sought out the owners of Stanly Ranch, on the Napa side of the Carneros appellation, as their grapes were becoming well known as some of the most sought after Pinot Noir grapes in California. They told him they would give him a small allocation to make wine, but future allocations would depend on the quality of the wine he made. They had no idea that was just that kind of challenge that puts Jayson at his best. After tasting the 2007 Cherry Pie Pinot Noir from the barrel, and deeming it one of the best ever made from their grapes, the owners of the ranch granted him free rein to choose from the very best blocks of the property for his wine. Needless to say, the allocation of fruit is now whatever he asks for…but the wine still had no name. Then in early 2008 while perusing New York’s Soho District, Jayson happened into the Campton Gallery during its exhibition of paintings by artist, TR Colletta. Colletta’s richly detailed paintings of everyday, distinctly American objects are at once familiar and remarkable, assuming an evocative, sculptural character. His subjects tap into our collective consciousness and become complex metaphors. Jayson was particularly drawn to a compelling oil on canvas of a juicy, mouthwatering, hot-out-of-the-oven cherry pie. He instantly knew this was to be the label and the name for his Pinot Noir still in the barrel - Cherry Pie. Like TR Colletta’s art, Jayson’s art is evocative, complex, textural and fundamentally American. His Cherry Pie Pinot Noirs are dazzling in their rich, layered, sensory excellence and are redolent of the flavors and aromas of something delicious baking in a warm kitchen – comforting, inviting and with their rich, dense, dark fruit flavors, as American as – well, Cherry Pie. |
