Wine Article
2020 Felton Road Pinot Noir Calvert
Last edited on 4/10/2022 by LindsayM
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Tasting Note
Immediately bursting with characteristic Calvert florals that are supported by dark cherry, plum and allspice. Violets flow endlessly on a silk laden mid-palate that intensifies and firms in the normal Calvert manner. Refinement; precision; florality; deeply reflective: descriptors that commonly define this great site are respectfully amplified in this cooler and slower ripening vintage.
Vineyard & Viticulture
Felton Road farms four properties totalling 34 ha in the Bannockburn subregion of Central Otago. Calvert Vineyard is located on Felton Road and is just 1km east of The Elms Vineyard and the winery. The soils at Calvert are deep heavy silts with a thin layer of loess topsoil. 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.
Vintage
Early vine development was steady with spring temperatures being average or slightly below and low rainfall. Flowering occurred during cool and relatively wet conditions causing smaller berry size and low bunch weights. Cooler conditions prevailed throughout the growing season, in particular March which was one of the coolest we have experienced. With the natural, moderate to low yields and cool and extended ripening conditions, flavours were ripe and concentrated, with good vibrancy and acidity. Calvert was harvested from April 4 to 11, which was in the middle of our Pinot Noir harvest window.
Vinification
The unique gravity flow winery enabled the grapes to be gently destemmed directly into open-top fermenters without harsh pumping with approximately 20% as whole clusters. 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 22-24 days. Pressed off and barrels filled immediately by gravity to the underground barrel cellars. The wine spent 17 months in barrel (30% new French) with two rackings and no fining or filtration, before bottling in early-September 2021.
Immediately bursting with characteristic Calvert florals that are supported by dark cherry, plum and allspice. Violets flow endlessly on a silk laden mid-palate that intensifies and firms in the normal Calvert manner. Refinement; precision; florality; deeply reflective: descriptors that commonly define this great site are respectfully amplified in this cooler and slower ripening vintage.
Vineyard & Viticulture
Felton Road farms four properties totalling 34 ha in the Bannockburn subregion of Central Otago. Calvert Vineyard is located on Felton Road and is just 1km east of The Elms Vineyard and the winery. The soils at Calvert are deep heavy silts with a thin layer of loess topsoil. 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.
Vintage
Early vine development was steady with spring temperatures being average or slightly below and low rainfall. Flowering occurred during cool and relatively wet conditions causing smaller berry size and low bunch weights. Cooler conditions prevailed throughout the growing season, in particular March which was one of the coolest we have experienced. With the natural, moderate to low yields and cool and extended ripening conditions, flavours were ripe and concentrated, with good vibrancy and acidity. Calvert was harvested from April 4 to 11, which was in the middle of our Pinot Noir harvest window.
Vinification
The unique gravity flow winery enabled the grapes to be gently destemmed directly into open-top fermenters without harsh pumping with approximately 20% as whole clusters. 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 22-24 days. Pressed off and barrels filled immediately by gravity to the underground barrel cellars. The wine spent 17 months in barrel (30% new French) with two rackings and no fining or filtration, before bottling in early-September 2021.