“Verismo” – Pinot Noir 2021

An Italian word meaning realism and truth, Verismo also describes the ‘golden age’ of opera in the late 1800s. Verismo operas are based on simple stories but ones characterized by great passion and heightened emotions.

2021 Vintage
“An exotic and intriguing nose of nutmeg, grilled herbs, hints of vanilla and rose petal, this dark ruby Pinot Noir has a rich palate of dense red fruits with silken tannins.” Olly Masters (Winemaker)

2021 Vintage Notes

A chilly start to the season was followed by warm settled weather enabling some fast growth on the vineyard. By the end of November when flowering started, the spring winds came with a vengeance and continued into December bringing a dip in temperatures whilst flowering occurred on the higher altitudes. By the end of December, the wind stopped but wet and cloudy conditions persisted through January. The following two months had warmer temperatures and the combination of January’s rain followed by this consistent warm period resulted in the canopy and crop levels looking much better than predicted and in spite of the uneven fruit set. The Pinot Noir for this blend was hand-picked at an average yield of 5.6 tonnes per hectare with excellent fruit condition and flavours. Growing Degree Days (GDDs) for this season were 1114.

Food Match

Pinot Noir is the ultimate food wine as it’s perfect with most meats but especially lamb, venison and veal. Some of the classic Pinot Noir matches are with game birds such as quail, pheasant, turkey and duck. It can accompany a wide range of vegetable dishes, autumnal fruits as well as mild or creamy cheeses.

Details

Winemaking

The fruit was chilled overnight before crushing the next day, for fermentation as small (~1.5 T) lots. The crushed fruit was then cold soaked for 5-7 days after which it was allowed to warm as the natural yeast ferment took place. Cooling was used to ensure the ferments peaked below 32°C. The wine was then held warm (typically 15-20°C) post ferment to allow ongoing tannin integration. After an average of 26 days on skins the wines were then pressed to tank where they were settled for 1–2 days before being racked into 300 litre French oak barrels. The wine was inoculated for malolactic fermentation in spring. For Verismo, a further barrel selection is made (post malolactic fermentation) from these superior ferments, all originating from specific vineyard blocks, the new oak level is 40%. The wine was then racked and filtered prior to bottling in Feb 2022.