Wine Article
2012 Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir
Last edited on 7/29/2022 by LindsayM
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THE SEASON
This was one of our cooler summers but it was followed by a lingering dry autumn. By leaving the grapes on the vines until later in the season we achieved a beautiful spectrum of ripe varietal flavours with good natural acidity. A modest, but reasonable crop level has contributed to good fruit concentration and body in the wine.
THE VINEYARD AND THE VINES
We have about a dozen different clones of pinot noir and often these grow intermingled throughout our various blocks. The vines, many of which are nearly 30 years old and on their own roots, grow on a series of north facing, gradually descending terraces. While the site is warm during the day it is cool at night. This allows the fruit to ripen fully but slowly and to retain good levels of natural acidity. The drainage is helped by stones intermingled with the soil.
HARVEST AND WINE MAKING
We use traditional Burgundian winemaking methods. We picked the various blocks at different stages during late April and early May, depending on their maturity. Most of the grapes were destemmed and put into small fermenting vats, retaining as many whole berries as possible. Ten percent of whole bunches were also added to these vats. They were kept cool over the next few days to help extract the soft, silky tannins from the pinot noir skins. After this time the grapes warmed enough to start fermenting. During fermentation the floating cap of grape skins was twice daily gently pushed back under the wine by hand to keep it moist and healthy. When the fermentation finished the vats were sealed and the grape remnants were left to steep in the wine for a week or two to help extract a different range of tannins that add structure and depth. The duration of this period was determined by daily tasting. Subsequently the wine was drained off and put into oak barriques (30% new) from selected artisan Burgundian coopers. In the summer after harvest, when the weather warmed, the wine underwent malo-lactic (secondary) fermentation. Both this and the original fermentation phase were completely natural and without added micro-organisms. After maturing for 18 months in these barriques the batches made from the many different plots of pinot were carefully blended in varying portions to produce this wine.
THE WINE
On release the wine has a bright ruby hue. The bright aromas and flavours suggest blackberries, raspberries and black cherries supported by an underlay of chocolate and cinnamon. Savoury elements, including impressions of roast meats and grilled mushroom, should become more prominent as the wine ages. It is generous and mouth filling but has a refined palate with plush velvety tannins and a lingering spicy aftertaste. It should develop a range of additional fascinating nuances with careful cellaring over the next decade and live well beyond.
This was one of our cooler summers but it was followed by a lingering dry autumn. By leaving the grapes on the vines until later in the season we achieved a beautiful spectrum of ripe varietal flavours with good natural acidity. A modest, but reasonable crop level has contributed to good fruit concentration and body in the wine.
THE VINEYARD AND THE VINES
We have about a dozen different clones of pinot noir and often these grow intermingled throughout our various blocks. The vines, many of which are nearly 30 years old and on their own roots, grow on a series of north facing, gradually descending terraces. While the site is warm during the day it is cool at night. This allows the fruit to ripen fully but slowly and to retain good levels of natural acidity. The drainage is helped by stones intermingled with the soil.
HARVEST AND WINE MAKING
We use traditional Burgundian winemaking methods. We picked the various blocks at different stages during late April and early May, depending on their maturity. Most of the grapes were destemmed and put into small fermenting vats, retaining as many whole berries as possible. Ten percent of whole bunches were also added to these vats. They were kept cool over the next few days to help extract the soft, silky tannins from the pinot noir skins. After this time the grapes warmed enough to start fermenting. During fermentation the floating cap of grape skins was twice daily gently pushed back under the wine by hand to keep it moist and healthy. When the fermentation finished the vats were sealed and the grape remnants were left to steep in the wine for a week or two to help extract a different range of tannins that add structure and depth. The duration of this period was determined by daily tasting. Subsequently the wine was drained off and put into oak barriques (30% new) from selected artisan Burgundian coopers. In the summer after harvest, when the weather warmed, the wine underwent malo-lactic (secondary) fermentation. Both this and the original fermentation phase were completely natural and without added micro-organisms. After maturing for 18 months in these barriques the batches made from the many different plots of pinot were carefully blended in varying portions to produce this wine.
THE WINE
On release the wine has a bright ruby hue. The bright aromas and flavours suggest blackberries, raspberries and black cherries supported by an underlay of chocolate and cinnamon. Savoury elements, including impressions of roast meats and grilled mushroom, should become more prominent as the wine ages. It is generous and mouth filling but has a refined palate with plush velvety tannins and a lingering spicy aftertaste. It should develop a range of additional fascinating nuances with careful cellaring over the next decade and live well beyond.