Delmore - 'Creature' - Pinot Noir - Humboldt County, CA - 2024

@delmorewines

Notes from the Winery/Importer

From 3 acres of dry-farmed Pinot Noir vines deep in the emerald triangle, my final vintage of Creature is now in bottle, but by no means contained. Hand harvested by a marijuana trim squad September 15th, and trucked seven hours south overnight by the grower Mykal Coelho, this pristine Lost Coast fruit was destemmed into open top bins, with 10% Chardonnay included. Wild fermentation took about 12 days, before I gravity drained the free run into neutral French barriques. The pressings were kept separate, and after a natural malolactic fermentation in barrel, the wine was topped up and received a small dose of sulfur. On June 7th, we gravity drained each barrel into the bottling tank, and immediately bottled that afternoon for freshness. Tasting notes: Alpine-esque Pinot, with Nebbiolo notes or roses, tar, and Rooibos tea. Mandarin orange, sour cherry, redwood duff, balsamic-tinged, with a granite/alluvial minerality on the palate, and lingering iced oatmeal cookie and cola flavors. Alcohol 12.6%. Unfined and unfiltered. Chillable. 156 cases made.

Notes on the Producer

“Darren Delmore is a San Luis Obispo native who set out to work at numerous wineries across both hemispheres to return to his hometown and harness these vineyards' oceanic proximity. The through-lines at Delmore are organically farmed grapes, native fermentations with minimal sulfur additions, some whole bunches and élevage in neutral wood. The finished wines showcase aromatic purity, textural richness and an ever-present oceanic profile.”-Matthew Luczy, RobertParker.com

Grapes & Style

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is one of the old noble red grapes of Burgundy, and still the variety most associated with the Côte d’Or’s ability to translate small differences in site into meaningfully different wines. It’s been known under older names like Morillon, Noirien, and Auvernat, and its history reaches back to medieval northern France. Over time, the Pinot family produced or revealed a whole set of mutations — Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Teinturier, Pinot Noir Précoce — but Pinot Noir remains the central red expression.

In the vineyard, it’s famously sensitive. It buds early, so spring frost can be a real issue, and it ripens early enough that warm climates can push it too fast, leaving thin-skinned berries prone to shrivel and sunburn. It prefers temperate climates, calcareous-clay soils, and careful yield control. It’s also susceptible to mildew, botrytis, virus pressure, and plenty of other vineyard headaches, which is part of why great Pinot has such a fragile, hard-won quality.

In the glass, Pinot Noir is rarely about sheer power. At its best, it’s relatively pale, aromatic, and finely structured, with red-fruit notes like cherry and raspberry when young, often moving toward more savory, autumnal, earthy, mushroomy, or truffle-like tones with age. The better examples are compelling because they carry delicacy without feeling thin — fruit, perfume, texture, and place all held in a lighter frame.