Mt Difficulty Single Vineyard Long Gully Bannockburn Pinot Noir 2018
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Tasting Notes
Mt Difficulty Long Gully Pinot Noir is handcrafted in very limited quantities and only released in outstanding vintages. With a bright, medium red ruby, plum hue, the wine opens with cherry alongside plum, a touch of cola and sweet brown spice on the nose. Supple dense red cherry introduces the wine, with excellent flow and breadth through the mid palate. Refined structural elements rise with a hint of earthiness. Cola, cherry, and spice notes resume and drive the palate. A plush and precise Pinot Noir.
CELLARING POTENTIAL
Mt Difficulty Long Gully Pinot Noir is expected to age beautifully for 10-15 years with proper cellaring.
Vintage Notes
VINTAGE 2018
2018 was a vintage of two halves. There was exceptional warmth from September through to late January, before a cool February and autumn. With the warm start we got underway early, and the potential crop was well set, yet small. Temperatures plummeted to below average in February and rainfall was well above average through harvest. Fortunately disease pressure remained low through the finish of the season, and the berry-ripening through the cooler summer-autumn period provided ripe, fresh characters..
WINEMAKING CONSIDERATIONS
We harvested the Pinot Noir over four picks from the 13th to the 20th March: in excellent condition. There is a selection of older Pommard clones as well as 10/5 planted on the vineyard and represented in this wine. Where we were able to, we co-fermented all these clonal lots to enhance early integration. All fruit was destemmed, this was done to accurately reflect the unique characteristics of the site. The wine underwent a 5-7day cold soak and was hand plunged once daily; this was followed by a 6-8 day natural fermentation with temperature peaking at 30°C during which time the ferment was plunged once daily. In total, the wine stayed on skins for 19-21 days prior to pressing, overnight settling and then went to barrel for 15 months. The wine went through malolactic fermentation in the spring, was racked to tank the following autumn and bottled, unfiltered and unfined, in November.
Alc. 14.0% TA 4.9 g/L pH 3.78 Residual Sugar 0.10 g/L
Accolades & Awards
96 points, James Suckling Tasting Report 2021
