2006 MadFish Pinot Noir Tasting Notes

Grape ripening across the entire south west of WA has been defined and affected by the cool and intermittingly wet spring and summer of 2005/2006 resulted in ripening being later than ever experienced before. The cool and mild conditions produced tighter and more elegant structured Pinot Noir from Mount Barker and the Porongurups.

Typically many of the batches were small and kept separate throughout fermentation and maturation. The fruit was hand picked, gently crushed, with about 10-20% being left as whole berries.. After cold soaking, the ferments were hand plunged or pumped over 2-4 times daily and temperatures were allowed to get quite high to aid flavour and colour extraction. The wines were matured in French barrels for 12 months before blending.

The wine is a medium intensity red in colour. The nose shows many aspects of Pinot Noir: black cherries, strawberries, floral and spice characters. The palate unfolds with soft red fruit weight upfront leading to mushroom/spice complexity through the middle of the palate. Fine supple tannins extend through the finish, balanced with lingering red fruit and a touch of leather.

This wine will improve for three to five years given good cellaring conditions.