"The challenge to produce fine Arneis, not surprisingly, begins in the vineyard. As the fruit ripens, the tightly formed clusters, with their thin-skinned berries, crowd each other and are susceptible to breakdown. That said, our ally in Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley is the weather, and 2001 was no exception. Early morning hand harvesting into small bins, and gentle whole cluster pressing yielded juice low in phenolic astringency. A prolonged cold fermentation (55°) manifested aromas of pe...