Wine Article
2018 Felton Road Pinot Noir Bannockburn
Last edited on 5/19/2019 by LindsayM
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Vintage 2018
A vintage characterised by exceptional heat, with warmer than normal overnight temperatures being of particular note from October through January. As has often been the case, this was a vintage of two halves. When our calendars moved from January to February, the turning of the page was both literal and figurative. Temperatures crashed back down to ordinary levels (in fact, the coolest in 14 years) and the drought was broken by the wettest February on record. This cool and wet month slowed the ripening considerably and fortunately allayed our concerns for the potential style and quality of the wines; due to the preceding warm months and advanced season. Harvesting began early on 28 February and proceeded in an orderly and measured pace over the next three weeks.
Vinification
The unique gravity flow winery enabled the grapes to be gently destemmed directly into open-top fermenters without pumping, retaining 20% as whole clusters. Traditional fermentation with a moderately long maceration on skins has extracted good colour and tannin with considerable depth of flavour. This wine was aged for 13 months in 27% new French oak barrels from artisan Burgundian coopers. In accordance with our non-interventionalist approach to winemaking, this wine was fermented with indigenous yeast and was not fined or filtered.
Tasting Note
Characteristic floral, cherry and spice aromas abound from the glass on first approach. The fruit from our four vineyards (Elms, MacMuir, Calvert and Cornish Point) delivers appealing diversity of aroma and flavour, along with multiple layers and textures. The deeply textural mouthfeel is silken and already charmingly approachable: partly due to the warm 2018 season, but also highly typical of the Felton Road house style.
A vintage characterised by exceptional heat, with warmer than normal overnight temperatures being of particular note from October through January. As has often been the case, this was a vintage of two halves. When our calendars moved from January to February, the turning of the page was both literal and figurative. Temperatures crashed back down to ordinary levels (in fact, the coolest in 14 years) and the drought was broken by the wettest February on record. This cool and wet month slowed the ripening considerably and fortunately allayed our concerns for the potential style and quality of the wines; due to the preceding warm months and advanced season. Harvesting began early on 28 February and proceeded in an orderly and measured pace over the next three weeks.
Vinification
The unique gravity flow winery enabled the grapes to be gently destemmed directly into open-top fermenters without pumping, retaining 20% as whole clusters. Traditional fermentation with a moderately long maceration on skins has extracted good colour and tannin with considerable depth of flavour. This wine was aged for 13 months in 27% new French oak barrels from artisan Burgundian coopers. In accordance with our non-interventionalist approach to winemaking, this wine was fermented with indigenous yeast and was not fined or filtered.
Tasting Note
Characteristic floral, cherry and spice aromas abound from the glass on first approach. The fruit from our four vineyards (Elms, MacMuir, Calvert and Cornish Point) delivers appealing diversity of aroma and flavour, along with multiple layers and textures. The deeply textural mouthfeel is silken and already charmingly approachable: partly due to the warm 2018 season, but also highly typical of the Felton Road house style.