2015 Monster Block Pinot Noir

The 2015 Ritual Monster is a Pinot Noir sourced from a specific plot in Casablanca on soils rich in mica and quartz, from vines that were planted 22 years ago. The plot is closer to the forest and with less clay than what is used in the regular Ritual Pinot Noir. They used 30% full clusters for the fermentation with native yeasts in open top vats. It was raised in 20% new 400-liter oak barrels. It's more austere and subtle than the Ritual, more elegant, with more balanced ripeness through earlier harvesting. Even the color is a lot lighter than the wine from 2014 that I tasted last time. 2,400 bottles were filled in March 2016.