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Pinot Noir - 2005 - Cloudy Bay Wines
Ref: A128305
Cloudy Bay

Enticing aromas of ripe juicy cherries and dark fruitcake are enriched by the plush scent of new leather and hints of toasty oak. The palate is supple and fine with a delicious plummy fruit character layered over charry oak and delicate tannins.

Grapes for this wine were grown in the Brancott and Fairhall sub-regions where the soils, including the aged alluvial gravels of the Brancott Valley, are relatively free draining, with some clay content. This soil structure allows a more consistent availability of water to the vines throughout the summer months, minimising water stress/flux to the vine. Reduced cane numbers at pruning, and shoot and fruit thinning throughout summer, provided a target yield of approximately 5T/ha.

Cool weather during the spring of 2003 culminated in a frost alert in the Southern Valleys on November 18th - exactly 12 months to the day of the severe frost in 2002. Helicopters were on stand-by to mitigate frost damage to tender vine shoots, with minimal damage occuring only in the most sheltered vineyard sites. Very warm and dry conditions during December and January ensured even flowering and desirable fruit-set. An unusually cool and cloudy February was redeemed by mild sunny weather during March and April, and complete physiological ripeness was achieved. Although the season was protracted - and at times precarious - new state-of-the-art fruit receival facilties enabled all varieties to be harvested with great efficiency at optimum ripeness.

Seven clones of Pinot Noir were hand harvested according to individual ripeness and fruit condition, with the first picked on the 4th of April and the last on the 22nd of April. Lower than average rainfall throughout March and April combined with a long ripening season helped to deliver exceptional flavours this vintage. Fruit composition averaged 24.8 Brix, pH 3.26 and acidity of 9.6g/l.

All fruit was de-stemmed into open top stainless steel fermentation tanks and after a pre-fermentation soaking period of several days the fermentations started with naturally occurring yeast. Following a moderate period on skins, employing punching down to extract colour, batches were drained and combined with light pressings before being transferred into French oak barrels for maturation, approximately half of which were new. Malolactic fermentation was complete by mid summer. Following a further period of ageing in oak, the wine was transferred out of barrel and blended in late March and then lightly fined with egg whites for clarity prior to bottling in June 2004 (under screwcap). The final blend consists of 50% AM10/5, 25% UCD5 (Pommard), and the remaining 25% a mix of five other (mainly Dijon) clones. Final analysis shows the wine to have 14.0%v/v alcohol, pH of 3.52 and acidity of 6.1g/l.

Price: £22.18
Including VAT at 17.5%

Qty:

New Zealand (South Island)	2005	Medium Bodied
Pinot Noir	Red	Turkey/Pork/Duck
Cloudy Bay Wines	Dry	Drink or keep

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