Pinot Noir Block 5 2013

Felton Road, tasting note (feltonroad.com – produktside feltonroad.com, hentet 2026-10-19): 2013 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 5 – område: Bannockburn (Central Otago); drue: Pinot Noir. Enkeltmark ifølge arket: The Elms Block 5 (The Elms vineyard). Producentens noter (engelsk): Tasting note: Beautifully perfumed with distinct floral aromas of rose petal and violets that are supported by the hallmark dark cherry and spice. The ripeness of the warmer vintage is apparent with slightly softer acidity that allows the wine to flow and expand, creating a sensation of floating in the finest feather duvet. Classically formed with the unmistakable pedigree, finesse and balance that is Block 5. Vineyard & viticulture: Felton Road farms four properties totaling 32 ha in the Bannockburn sub-region of Central Otago. Block 5 is situated on a gentle north facing slope in the heart of The Elms vineyard and was planted in 1993. 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. The season started slowly after a very cold winter with normal soil moistures. December finally warmed and provided excellent conditions for flowering and a strong and even fruit set. January was warm but unusually marked with five cold southerlies that brought snow to the mountains and tempered the post flowering growth and development. By the end of January and leading into veraison, the weather stabilised and provided warm and consistent temperatures throughout the remainder of the summer. The most interesting aspect about the entire growing season was the warmer night temperatures through February and March, which is uncharacteristic for Central Otago. This brought on the fruit ripeness earlier than we would normally expect considering the brief cold periods we experienced in November and January. Harvest began on March 26 and was completed by April 15 with ideal conditions throughout. Vinification: 26% of the fruit was retained as whole clusters with the remainder carefully de-stemmed directly to the fermenters by gravity without harsh pumping. Long pre-fermentation soaks of 8-10 days prior to fermentation with indigenous yeasts and punched down by hand up to four times per day with a total time on skins of 19-21 days. Pressed off and barrels filled immediately by gravity to the underground barrel cellars. The wine spent 18 months in barrel (37% new French) with two rackings and no fining or filtration, before bottling in mid-September 2014.