2009 Whitehaven Pinot Noir
Accolades
Gold Medal - Selections Mondiales Des Vins - Canada 2011
Gold Medal - Royal Easter Show 2011
Silver Medal - Air New Zealand Wine Awards 2010
Tasting Note
Colour / Appearance:Deep red ruby hue with a bright clarity. Aroma / Bouquet:Lifted ripe cherry and plum fruit flavours, underlined with gamey, spicy oak and attractive savoury tones. Palate:This wine has a supple, silky texture, gently supporting an array of red fruits and secondary game flavours. Well integrated oak provides savoury and spicy notes as well as aiding the tannin structure. Cellaring:Will age well with careful cellaring for 3-5 years. Food Match:Try this wine with game meats such as duck or venison. Serve:Serve at room temperature.
Wine Analysis
Alcohol:14.0%Residual Sugar:2.0 g/L Titratable Acidity:5.5 g/L pH:3.60
Viticulture
Harvest Date:29th March - 11th April 2009 Locality:The fruit was sourced from vineyards in the Awatere, Wairau & Southern Valley sub-regions of Marlborough. Climate:The ripening season was characterised by a dry December and wet February, followed by a perfect late ripening period of clear warm days and cool nights. Vine Management:Shoot thinning was carried out during the growing season to ensure a healthy open canopy, and fruit thinning occurred later in the season to ensure all the fruit had concentrated ripe varietal flavours.
Vinification
Winemaking:The fruit was hand harvested in the cool autumn mornings. It was later de-stemmed and transferred to open top fermenting vats, then left to cold soak for 5-6 days prior to fermentation. Fermentation was carried out with selected yeast in small vats. Extraction was done by hand-plunging 3-4 times daily to ensure gentle colour and flavour extraction. Rached into a combination of new and old French oak barrels the wine was left to mature and underwent a natural malolactic fermentation in spring. The wine was barrel aged for 11 months and lightly fined with egg white prior to bottling. Winemaker:Sam Smail