Catalina Sounds Marlborough Pinot Noir 2019

Description

• French oak
• Savory spices & almond
• Dark ripe berries
• Dense tannins

"Youthful, elegant and beautifully fragrant, the bouquet shows Black Doris plum, sweet cherry, dark mushroom, almond and floral aromas. The palate offers excellent weight and roundness, combined with silky texture and fine tannins, finishing persistent and refined. At its best: now to 2027" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Jan 2021

The combination of fruit from the clay rich southern valleys and the deep, free draining silt loams of the Awatere Valley have produced a distinctly structured wine of both power and elegance. Appealing savoury spices, dark ripe berry fruit and toasted almonds are supported by plump fruit weight and densely structured tannins which carry the wine to a long and satisfying finish.

100% Marlborough, 56% from Awatere Valley, 44% from Southern Valleys.

The 2018/2019 growing season wrapped up with exceptionally clean fruit and low yields that developed excellent concentration and flavour. January through March was hot and dry with little rainfall and combined with the low yields meant harvest started earlier than usual. It also allowed picking decisions to be made in the vineyard on flavour and reaching optimum ripeness.

The majority of fruit was handpicked and destemmed to open top fermenters for 3-5 days at 6 deg C before going through a ‘wild’ ferment with yeast from the vineyard. Fruit was handled lightly during ferment and allowed to rest for 7 days before being pressed to tank and then gently racked to French oak (15% new). The wine matured for 11 months undergoing full malolactic fermentation, before being blended, lightly fined with an organic egg white and bottled in March 2020.

Food Pairing: Braised beef check with creamy herb polenta , Confit duck or Szechuan beef.