Rockburn Pinot Noir 2013

Supple red cherry fruits with a touch of very attractive sweetness upfront. Flavours of mocha and soft toasty oak unfold on the palate with a slight herbal hint before the silky tannins and ripe acidity combine to leave a long apparently dry yet juicy finish. This is a beautifully elegant and very well balanced wine with plenty of 'yum factor'. The wine fully deserves the five star and gold medal accolades it has received.   Here are the winery release notes. Date Bottled: 17^th March 2014 Quantity Bottled: 5,600 cases, 100 magnums VITICULTURE Grape Variety & Clone: 100% Pinot Noir. Clones 10/5, 5, 6, 115, 667, 777. Training and Trellis: Vertical Shoot Position (VSP) Soils:    Gibbston 40cm topsoil over alluvial gravels Parkburn 10-15 cm loam over river gravel. Vineyard Location: Gibbston 15%, Parkburn 85% Climate Comment:  Beautiful sunny warm season, some rain/snow events in January Vintage Climate:  Sunny but cool, dry. Harvest Date:  28^th March to 19^th April in Parkburn, 4^th May in Gibbston. Viticulturist Comment:  A cool but intense season, spring frosts reducing overall yields. WINEMAKING Winemaker: Malcolm Rees-Francis Fermentation: 7 tonne fermenters, 5 to 7 days cold maceration; fermentation over 1 week with daily plunging followed by post fermentation maceration for 7 to 14 days. Some batches made good use of whole bunch inclusion. 50% wild ferments. Barrel élevage: 10 months in French oak; 33% new, 37% 1 year old, 30% 2 years old. Alcohol: 14.0% Titratable Acidity: 4.9 g/l Residual Sugar: < 1.0 g/l pH level: 3.68 Vintage Comment:Excellent flavor development keeping ahead of sugar accumulation has led to great potential for expressive and poised wines. TASTING NOTES The 2013 vintage yielded beautiful fruit from each of our sites, which we have simply guided gently through to the bottle with minimal handling.  Our “hands-off” approach delivers a pure expression of Central Otago to your glass; an expressive nose and deeply fruited palate displaying vibrant notes of red and black cherry, rich mocha and supple, silky tannins leading into a very long finish.  As always this wine shows classic Rockburn elegance, integrity and balance.  Enjoy with friends over the next 4-9 years.