Pinot Noir Block 3 2016

Felton Road, tasting note (feltonroad.com – produktside feltonroad.com, hentet 2026-10-19): 2016 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 3 – område: Bannockburn (Central Otago); drue: Pinot Noir; 13 måneder på fad, 35% nye franske fade. Enkeltmark ifølge arket: The Elms Block 3 (The Elms vineyard). Producentens noter (engelsk): Tasting note: A deep, meaty nose of dark fruit, complexing hints of humus and dark rose. The palate is surprisingly more opulent than the colour might suggest. A rich entry of wild bramble that leads to an enticing chalkiness. Riding along the bottom of the palate is a seam of impressive richness: chocolate; mocha; dense with a chewy, herbal complexity. Sophisticated, sensual and unmistakably Block 3. Vineyard & viticulture: Felton Road farms four properties totaling 32 ha in the Bannockburn sub-region of Central Otago. Block 3 is situated on a gentle north facing slop in the heart of The Elms vineyard where a deep bench of glacial soil is interspersed with calcarious seams. Meticulous summer management of a single vertical shoot positioned (VSP) canopy ensures even and early fruit maturity. Shoot thinning, shoot positioning, leaf plucking, bunch thinning and harvest are all carried out by hand to ensure optimum quality fruit. Cover crops are planted between rows to assist in vine balance and to improve soil health and general biodiversity. El Nino conditions provided westerlies and early warmth, which combined with high soil-moisture, pushed an early bud-burst and vibrant growth. Temperatures rose rapidly towards flowering with moisture-wicking wind conditions keeping growth in check. December brought extreme diurnal swings the likes of which we are not accustomed to seeing so early in the season; afternoon highs in the low thirties balanced by single-figures overnight. The diurnal pattern continued through January with a full 30°C swing on January 11th. Overnight temperatures then became warmer than normal with scattered rain events offering some relief for desiccated soils. Veraison was early with a rapid onset but prolonged completion. Pinot Noir skins showed impressive colour and condition by the start of March. Peak temperatures dropped away as high diurnals returned, offering a balancing tension and finesse after the welcome but unusual early season warmth. The Pinot Noir harvest was relatively early beginning on March 23rd and concluded on April 9. Vinification: The unique gravity flow winery enabled the grapes to be gently destemmed directly into open-top fermenters without pumping, retaining approximately 25% as whole clusters. Traditional fermentation with a moderately long maceration on skins has extracted good colour and tannin with considerable depth of flavour. This wine was aged for 13 months in 35% new French oak barrels from artisan Burgundian coopers. […]