2016 PINOT NOIR
About the vintage
The season started with slightly cooler weather over the important flowering and fruit-set periods during November and December, resulting in smaller bunches with fewer berries. An exceptionally dry summer with half the usual rainfall ensured the berry sizes remained small.
The winemaking
Made from grapes from three of our company vineyards, we were able to blend to the exact style we wanted. Firstly, the fruit underwent cold maceration for just under a week, prior to small-batch fermentation. After two to three weeks on skins the wine was pressed off. 75% was matured in barrel (predominantly older oak, three to five years old) for ten months while the rest remained in tank. The wine was traditionally fined using egg white. Alcohol content 13.5%
What the wine is like
Bright ruby red, this fruity Pinot Noir offers an enticing nose of ripe, berry fruit. It is juicy and smooth with a velvety texture and lots of sweet raspberry and cherry flavours together with a touch of spice. Gentle tannins provide backbone but don’t overpower this attractive wine.
When to enjoy
This is the perfect red for any occasion – gentle and fruity enough to enjoy on its own yet substantial and flexible enough to go with a wide variety of dishes. Serve at room temperature, although you can enjoy this wine after half an hour in the fridge on a warm day!
Suggested food pairings
Pinot Noir loves food, especially roast lamb, game, ham, seared salmon, seared tuna, Asian flavours and anything off the barbecue.