2004
Savaterre "Les Enfants" Pinot Noir......Sold Out......Sold
Out
"...He’d used 100% stalks in the ferment but
you’d never suspect it, and with time it built delicious
perfumes of red roses and plums and wood smoke, the palate following
precisely on. It’s got lots of smoky, sappy, stalky tannin
and a huge amount of interest, and while Keppell made it to drink
young, I suspect that its going to age a whole lot longer than
he thinks. Drink 2006- 2011. 91 points.
Campbell Mattinson,
Winefront Monthly: March 2005
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2004 was a vigneron's vintage!
A beautifully mild and gentle year produced grapes of the highest
possible quality. Rain fell when instructed, the sun obliged at
all the right times and after the hard slog of 2003 it was a welcome
year.
The 2004 wines
all have an added dimension to them. Every aspect of the wines just
seems that more focused, deeper and pure. I am not sure if this
is simply the result of a stunning growing season or possibly, the
years of biodynamic farming, the close planting, the increasing
vine age or all of the above. Let's save some time pondering the
indeterminable and just conclude the results speak for themselves.
The wonderful thing about wine is that no matter how much spin,
hype etc you encounter, the ultimate truth about a wine is in the
glass. I feel very proud of the 2004 offerings.
Normally
fruit from my young vines (less than 5 years) is either not picked
or is made into house wine for various select restaurants. In 2004
the fruit looked too good to just leave for the birds so I picked
it and fermented it in a very traditional Burgundian way. 100% whole
bunch fermentation, stalks and all! I'd always wanted to give this
a try and since the destemming machine was playing up and I was
completely exhausted I thought this was the opportunity I needed
to take a few more risks. If it was an unsuccessful experiment I
could always just throw it away.
Well what
a lesson it has been. By far the best young vine wine to date. So
much so I labelled it under the Savaterre label and distinguished
it with the “Les Enfants” tag
Fermentation
was by wild yeast and malolactic bacteria. Older oak was used. 17
months in barrel then bottled unfiltered. I thought this would be
a drink now wine but I am inclined to think it will age well into
the next 5-8 years. Here are my tasting notes.
Tasting
Notes:
Brilliant deep
crimson.
Beautiful aromas
of rose petals, morello cherry, violets, plum, sur bois, and gamey
smoked meats.
On the palate
the flavours all comes together with a very food friendly savoury,
minerally texture. It finishes with a interesting (good) long fine
tannin finish that is balance by fruit power and a little sappiness
from the whole bunches.
Allow the wine
to come up to room temperature as this will amplify the wonderful
aromas.
Unfiltered.
Store at 14C.
All
grapes under this label are sourced exclusively from the Savaterre
Vineyard in Beechworth.
2003
Pinot Noir .....
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