Description
This leading Pipers River producer in Tassie has done well here. Michael Caldwell (viticulturalist/winemaker- with experience at Te Kairanga and Joseph Chromy) overseas the 12 hectare vineyard and employs classical Pinot Noir winemaking techniques: hand sorting fruit, cold soaking, whole bunch inclusion, hand-plunging and wild fermentation; to create wines that combine fruit intensity with layers of texture and persistent varietal characters.
About this wine from the winemaker: “Home is where the heart is and home for us is at Pipers River. Here, the sloping terrain is caressed by the cooling sea breeze, giving fruit the chance to ripen at a leisurely pace over a long growing season. The result is waves of sour cherry flavours dusted with Asian five spice and subtle savoury undercurrent. Complex, elegant, subtle, delicious.”
“This single vineyard wine captures the essence of its climate and vintage. In close proximity to the cool waters of Bass Strait, its breeze moderates growth and grape ripening to maximise full maturity of flavours whilst retaining its fine natural acidity. Sourced from blocks D & M1, which are protected from the cool north-westerly winds by the Dalrymple hill.
“A wet, late winter and early spring with some strong wind events from mid-spring to just before Christmas. The conditions that followed through to after vintage were warm and mostly dry, enabling the grapes to reach full ripeness.
“The fruit was hand-picked and placed into fermenters with 10% whole bunches included in the ferment, the balance being destemmed. Fermentation was complete after 12 days, with two to three gentle hand plunges during active fermentation to gently extract tannins. The wine was drained, pressed and settled prior to being placed in French oak barriques (30% new). The wine underwent malolactic fermentation during its 10 months in barrel.
“Classic aromas of red cherries and Asian five-spice combine with the warmer vintage attributes of plum skin, violets and earthy complexity. The palate shows the hallmark purity of fine acidity that is only achieved in Pipers River, framed with silky tannins and balanced with plush, black cherry flesh. The finish keeps on giving with cranberry freshness.”
94 points, Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion “A single-vineyard pinot noir from Pipers River showing plenty of wild strawberry, dark cherry and plum fruits with hints of medina spice, char siu, mountain herbs, dried citrus rind, citrus blossom, pomegranate, dried cranberries, dried meats and turned earth. A little more concentration this release; fruits a shade darker in the swatch book but still nicely composed, with a swoop of sour cherry, powdery tannins and a vivid briny cadence on the back end.”
92 points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review “Good depth of red colour laced with purple in the rim; the bouquet sappy and gently stemmy with beetroot and sour cherry characters. It’s quite tense and lean in the mouth, with good depth of flavour if not a lot of richness or fruit-sweetness. Taut and savoury, with lively acidity, and balanced tannins tannins adding grip.
RRP $79 Our Special Price $65.99 when you buy 6 or more of this wine
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