2002 MadFish Pinot Noir Tasting Notes

The 2001/2002 growing season was “interesting”. Windy and wet conditions in November made flowering difficult, particularly in the Great Southern and Margaret River. The subsequent fruit set produced significantly decreased yields in some parts of these regions resulting in wonderful fruit intensity. A cool, dry summer extended the ripening season resulting in ripe fruit flavours without high levels of alcohol in the finished wine.

This wine is a combination of traditional “hand-plunged” one tonne batches with whole bunches and “pump over” batches incorporating a period of “cold soaking”. The wine was then blended and matured for 12 months in a mixture of new and old French oak barriques.

The wine has an encouraging depth of colour, seldom seen in cool climate Pinot, displaying youthful tinges of purple to crimson. The nose is a rich, enticing blend of dark berry fruits, violets, a gamey, mushroom complexity and savoury French oak. The palate begins with flavours of black cherry and strawberry, leads onto a more textured, richer mid-palate of dark chocolate and finishes with a long spicy, French oak back palate.

This wine has the structure and fruit required to reward cellaring for up to 5 years.