Score 96/100; Cellar 9 years
Tasting Notes
Pemberton has the climate and environment to make its own very interesting style of Pinot Noir, this vintage I worked with fully ripe fruit and I have endeavored to display this extra level of flavour in this wine. I have extracted more tannin than normal by fermenting the wine on skins longer than usual this has produced a Pemberley vineyard wine with more depth and ripe forest floor characters but is still a soft and approachable red wine
Vintage Conditions
In 2014 we had a relatively dry spring, followed by a warm, dry summer with very little early autumn rain. These ideal ripening conditions with warmer day temperatures produced healthy canopies carrying low to medium yields. This vintage provided intense fruit flavours showing wild strawberries and forest floor characters.
Vineyard
Planted in 1995 in the Eastbrook area of Pemberton, the Pinot Noir vineyard was planted on deep karri loams. The vines are cane pruned and grown using minimal chemicals. The fruit is hand harvested and moved only a short distance to the winery.
Winemaking Notes
Grapes were handpicked at dawn and fermented in small an open-top fermenter with plenty of refrigeration that enabled a long cold soak prior to a natural fermentation that continued for 10 days post soaking. After the primary fermentation, the wine was run to French oak barriques for malo-lactic fermentation with the barrel selection being paramount. After minimal handling and 13 months in oak, the wine was bottled in February 2015.
Technical Analysis
Variety: Pinot Noir
Clone: 177
PH: 3.67 TA: 5.60 ALC: 13.6
Oak: New and second year French oak
Maturation: 13 months
Production: Approximately 150 dozen per annum
Distribution: Private Buyers, Fine Dining Restaurants, Premium Wine Outlets
Reviews
The West Australian Wine Guide 2016
Published on February 18, 2016
Robert Bowen Pemberton pinot noir 2014 ($45)
Best of the West 2016 – pinot noir
Bowen has been sourcing some mighty good pinot noir from Pemberton for these wines and this one is a beauty. Seductive aromas of cherry and smoky oak. The palate is medium to light bodied but there’s power and structure in here that delivers with a perfectly seamless expression. Chalky tannins and a linear acidity put the finishing touches to a super wine.
SCORE 96/100 CELLAR 9 years
