In the late 19th century, Mssr. Paul Masson emigrated to California from Burgundy, bringing with him a treasure trove of Pinot noir clones which he plantd as a traditional massale (random assortment of clones). In 1940, he sold the estate to Martin Ray, who gathered budwood from throughout this massale and planted it in the hills above Saratoga, thus saving the most important collection of Pinot noir clones in the Western Hemisphere. Part of our Clos Electrique vineyard is composed of vines collected 33 years ago from Ray?s fabled massale. This extremely limited production wine is made exclusively from those vines.
The wine is concentrated, with complex aromatics of cassis, black cherry, fennel and leather. The palate is incredibly rich and long. This may be the best bottle of Pinot noir we have ever made.