Savaterre

Pinot Noir
2005 Savaterre Pinot Noir......Sold Out......Sold Out...Sold Out "I'm in love with this wine. I've been obsessing over it for the past 24 hours, and to be honest it's been pretty damn amazing from about an hour after it was opened onwards. It's almost an Italianate expression of pinot noir - which is another way of saying that it is 100% varietal, but that it also lives inside its own skin. It's not at all sweet, it's quite bitter and daring on the finish, and indeed it has a sense of dry chocolate there even as a line of minerals crackles through the taut, dry frame of tannin. It's a very tight, ripe, savoury, stalky - and given lots of time to open up - kaleidoscopic wine...It is top class. Drink: 2012-2019. 95 points" Campbell Mattinson, Winefront Monthly: March 2007 --------------------------------------------------- Coming after the brilliant 2004 vintage it appears hyped and commercially useful to describe the 2005 as “the best yet”. However, I stand by this. I am at a quandary as to why this would be - 2004 was perfect climatically whilst this vintage pushed me more. The 2005 fruit took forever to ripen which I’m guessing was caused by unseasonably cold nights. Maybe this slow development and ripening produced this outstanding vintage. It certainly caused many a sleepless night wondering when to pick! Maybe the vines were that little older or maybe the organic, biodynamic farming practices were showing their beneficial effect. Maybe it was the close planting and low yields per vine (less than a bottle of wine per vine which is one quarter the Australian average). Perhaps I’m simply becoming more experienced as a vigneron. Let’s end this navel gazing. I feel the 2005 wines are my best to date. I hope you agree. Balanced, powerful, pure, linear and long with fantastic age worthy structure. Intense and elegant. My winemaking "holy grail" if you will. Savaterre Pinot Noir has really hit its straps in 2005. A “kaleidoscopic wine” as Campbell Mattinson writes is a fabulous description. There is so much happening with this wine but it only reveals itself slowly and seductively. If you must try this before 2010 decant for a few hours. Make sure when serving that the wine comes up to temperature during the meal. Tasting Notes: Brilliant deep crimson. Tight, shy and powerful. After some time in a decanter brooding aromas of Morello cherry, rose petal, violets, dark fruits, all spice, clove and sur bois or undergrowth with a beautiful acid balance begin to evolve. This really is the most tight and reticent wine nature has delivered. With patience a crescendo of aromas begin to suggest what the palate may experience. On the palate I am immediately struck by the texture of the wine. A beautiful balance between fruit power, acidity and ripe fine silky tannins that carries flavour and texture to an extraordinary long finish. This is such a magnificent food wine. Minerally, tight, ripe and savoury. Each mouthful is slightly different from the previous as its tight frame unravels to reveal is complex identity. As usual the wines are made in an unhurried manner with wild yeasts, 100% natural malolactic, 17 months slow cool elevage in the very best French tight grain barriques and finally bottled without filtration. The wine was then cellared in bottle for approximately 6 months to slowly develop and evolve. As with all Savaterre wines no added chemicals to hurry up the process. This is a slow and deliberate progression that respects the integrity of the wine and its terroir. Much akin to the slow food movement. This wine is made for the long term. There is no rush! I am absolutely convinced that this adherence to traditional methods in the vineyard and winery, combined with sufficient time for the wines personality to evolve, are of paramount importance in producing wines of terroir or place. Wines of identity. I really can’t imagine making a better wine than this. This is such a complex, age worthy wine. All grapes under this label are sourced exclusively from the Savaterre Vineyard in Beechworth. Store at 14C.