Felton Road Pinot Noir 2005

Beautiful but flawed. I am referring though to Felton Road’s website, rather than their wine. The wine, as might be expected of such an esteemed producer, is very good. The 2005 vintage is described by Felton Road as:

“… a trying and frustrating season with a very cool Spring and what can only be described as the December from hell … The end result was a crop averaging just 20hl/ha (3 tonnes per hectare): around half of our usual cropping level. This proved a blessing in disguise as even in the chilling temperatures, … [we] achieved optimal ripeness of this small crop.”

What then of the wine? It proved to be very good, though it initially displayed its attributes quite reticently. With time, a medium to pronounced intensity expression of cherry and bramble fruit, deftly seasoned with tasty oak emerged by way of aroma. It was accompanied by medium length, medium-high acidity and red currant flavours on the palate. Perhaps eschewing the heights that I had hoped, but nonetheless very good. 87 points

Website: http://www.feltonroad.com/
Tasted: December 2011