The fruit for the MadFish Pinot Noir is sourced from a variety of vineyards throughout the Great Southern region of Western Australia. Great Southern Pinot Noir produces fruit that shows an opulent black cherry and strawberry flavour profile.
The 2007 vintage started with very warm conditions which led to early budburst and flowering and the fruit came to maturity earlier than normal. These warm conditions and early ripening led to fruit that showed rich and full flavours.
Nearly half of the fruit was hand-picked, allowing the selection of very clean and sound fruit. The remaining fruit was gently de-stemmed, crushed and chilled and was then pumped to a static fermenter where it underwent cold maceration for optimal colour extraction.
Fermentation was by an addition of one of a number of Burgundian cultured yeast isolates. The fermenting must was allowed to reach temperatures of around 32°, excellent for tannin extraction in the variety. Fermentation took approximately ten days including aerative pump-overs during this time. The wine was pressed off its skins at the completion and was then settled for a short period in tank before being racked off its gross lees.
The wine was matured in French oak barrels for about 12 months where it underwent malolactic fermentation. Each parcel of fruit was then individually assessed for the final blend to ensure an optimal expression of fruit.