Saint Clair - Block 12 Lone Gum Pinot Noir 2010

Named after a solitary tree on the site in Dog Point Road, south of Renwick. Powerful, lifted, dark aromas of boysenberry, blueberry and spice. A full-bodied, powerful palate with ripe boysenberry, blueberry and blackcurrant. The wine is rich and fat with structured tannins and a delicious toasty French oak finish.

The fruit was sourced from a single vineyard situated at the mouth of the Omaka Valley. Following careful monitoring during ripening the fruit was harvested in the cool evening at maximum flavour maturity and physiological ripeness. The wine is created from 100 per cent clone 10/5. The fruit was harvested when it had reached full physiological ripeness and maximum flavour maturity. At the winery the fruit was held cold for five days prior to fermentation to help extract maximum flavour and to enhance colour stability. A specially selected yeast was used to carry out the primary alcoholic fermentation during which the fermenting must was hand plunged up to six times daily at the peak of fermentation. At dryness the wine was pressed to tank then racked off gross lees to a mixture of 25 per cent new French oak and older seasoned 225 litre oak barriques. During maturation the barrels were regularly tasted until the right balance was achieved (ten months). During its time the young wine completed malolactic fermentation. The wine was then carefully extracted from oak, blended and prepared for bottling.