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Red Wine
 

Saint Clair 2009 Pioneer Block 5 Bull Block Pinot Noir

With the country well and truly in the grips of winter as the storm bring snow to much of the country showed, many of us will be thinking of enjoying a good red with an evening meal, possibly by a warm fire or at the very least warm heater. Therefore this week I have chosen a red from Saint Clair's Pioneer Block range, the 2009 Bull Block Pinot Noir.

This wine comes from fruit a vineyard that used to be a Jersey Bull paddock. The vines have been on this site now for 13 years. The vineyard is on flat land in the Hawkesbury region of the Omaka Valley, south west of Blenheim. The soil is made of aged silt loam over clay loam sub-soil and it typically experiences very warm days followed by cool nights over the grape growing season. The fruit on this block is traditionally harvested later in the season, allowing a longer ripening period.

The climate and topography of the vineyard contribute to small berries with great concentration and intensity of flavour.

The fruit was harvested when it was judged to have reached full physiological ripeness and maximum flavour. Once at th4e winery, the fruit was then held cold for four days prior to ferment to help with colour stability and also ensure maximum flavour extraction. Selected yeasts were used to carry out the primary ferment and the must was hand plunged up to six times per day during this process.

At dryness, each batch was pressed off to tank then racked off gross lees to stainless steel tanks before being put into a mixture of 31% new French Oak for ten months before being blended and bottled.

I found the dark crimson Saint Clair Pioneer Block 5 Bull Block Pinot Noir to have a lifted bouquet of cherry and boysenberry on the nose, with hints of toasty oak. On the palate, I found this wine to also have flavours of black cherry and boysenberry, but also dark plum with hints of spice. It has a fine tannin structure and long, lingering finish.

I would recommend trying this wine with a good roast lamb or beef, which are also perfect for winter. If you chose not to drink this wine now, it should cellar well for another five years.

Reviewed by Stephen Clark (1/8/2011)
 

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