Pinot Noir Block 5 2019

Felton Road, tasting note (feltonroad.com – produktside feltonroad.com, hentet 2026-10-19): 2019 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: Aromatically very expressive, complete and alluring: florals, black cherry, spice and undergrowth are all present. The palate is so harmonised and integrated that it’s difficult to discern individual characters – a hallmark of a real classic. Finely woven tannins build and coat the mouth for a masterclass in texture. Vibrant fruit and acidity allow the finish to crescendo and take an eternity to gracefully fade. 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. The soils vary up the slope from heavy loess and silt, clay and angular schist gravels. 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. A season at first remarkable for its persistent rhythm of rain events throughout spring and early summer. Approaching double our long-term average, we never saw more than two weeks without significant precipitation. These wetter seasons however, are usually very welcome, as with our normally excessively dry climate, increased natural moisture is almost always positive for vine health and fruit quality. Heat summation for the season was slightly above normal with healthy green canopies and interrows right through to harvest. Maturity arrived rapidly and harvesting of Pinot Noir began on March 29, with all the fruit picked within a 12 day window. Yields were naturally moderated and bunches were of perfect health with small, loosely packed berries, dense skins and ripe seeds. Vinification: 20% 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 two times per day with a total time on skins of 21-23 days. Pressed off and barrels filled immediately by gravity to the underground barrel cellars. The wine spent 16 months in barrel (30% new French) with two rackings and no fining or filtration, before bottling in early-September 2020.