Hamilton Russell Vineyards Pinot Noir, 750 ml

Variety: Pinot Noir. Soil: Low-vigour, stony, clay-rich, shale-derived soil. Growing season: A good winter chill was followed by a relatively cool wet spring with particularly heavy rainfall in November, causing some challenges with disease control and contributing to lower yields by interfering with flowering. Nature redeemed itself with sunny dry weather during harvest. A higher than usual number of sunshine days did not result in excessive heat and 2009 was a cooler vintage than average – but not too cool. The grapes of 2009 were characterised by high acidity, low pH, excellent colour, prominent fruit perfume and wonderful tannin. This is a top vintage. Wine style: Our low-vigour, stony, clay-rich soil, cool maritime mesoclimate, naturally tiny yields of under 30 hl/ha and our philosophy of expressing our terroir in our wines, give rise to a certain tightness, tannin line and elevated length to balance the richness and generosity of our Pinot Noir. Our Pinot Noir is not overtly fruity, soft and sweet, and it generally shows hints of that alluring savoury 'primal' character along with a dark, spicy, complex primary fruit perfume.