Vineyard Blocks

Part of our original Mont Fleur block planted in 1983 for “home consumption” only.  The Pinot Noir vines represent a tiny area of approx. 0.1 ha – 5 wire vertical trellis with 1.35m row width.  Vine density 7500 vines/ha.  Soil red Hutton mostly.  Clone BK5 on R99 rootstock.  No irrigation. 

Yield 3 – 4 tons/ha.

 

 Vintage Conditions

A fairly difficult vintage with above average rain during the growing period. The ripening stage was generally cool with some nail biting scattered rain. It required nerve to wait for full ripeness before picking. The fruit was picked in good  healthy condition with nice ripe tannins.

Harvest date: 21/2/96 @ 22.8° balling.

 

Production

Handpicking into 20 kg lugboxes. Destemming and gentle crushing directly into small 2 ton open top fermentation tanks. Spontaneous natural yeast fermentation @ max. 33 deg. with the cap of skins punched down manually 2 - 4 times a day for 11 days. Wine drained directly to barrels together with single pressing from traditional basket press.

All our red wine undergo malolactic fermentation in the barrel. This helps to integrate the new oak component and fix colour and flavour compounds. 30% new French oak and 15 % new American oak was used from the high quality 'Francois Freres' and 'Demptos' cooperages.

Time in barrel 17 months with only a single racking.

This wine was bottled directly from the barrel unfiltered by hand.

Bottling date :

Production : cases.

 

 Tasting Notes

 

 

Analysis

Alc.  12.79            Sugar  2.1            TA  5.2            VA  0.55            pH  3.37             SO2   37  -  54