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Sensational quality wine from the Orange, NSW wine growing region.
2019 Pinot Noir (12 bottle case) NEW RELEASE
2019 Pinot Noir (12 bottle case) NEW RELEASE
Gorgeous bright carmine in colour, this positively gentle Pinot Noir’s bouquet of dusty, cherry chocolate and fresh, lipstick red berry fruits are caressed in restrained, fine-grained French oak tannins. If ladies old handbags have an elegant intrigue about them, then so does this beautifully textured Bloodwood Pinot Noir.
13.1% Al/Vol
Vineyard
The Pinot Noir from Bloodwood is grown on the top 12 rows of the Maurice Vineyard..
Yes we know that’s a bit confusing given that the Maurice is a style of wine which isn’t necessarily tied to a particular plot of ground..but..bear with me. The original few rows planted in 1984 were, and are to be found in the middle of our original Cabernet Sauvignon planting. We were anxious to see how the fruit performed without any special Pinophiliac attention. It did very well, so the next five rows were planted at the very top of the Maurice vineyard block. Both plantings were to MV6 clone, however we now have, in addition, two hundred or so each of clones 777; 114 and 115.adjoining the Maurice
vineyard. These vines are all close planted on an easterly slope of 20 degrees in a north/south orientation and Scott‐Henry trellised to open to the western side of the vine.
This gives a bit of added light and warmth to the ripening grapes in cooler years.
Vintage Conditions
The Weather At Bloodwood is always the same; It's Different!
Winter and Spring rainfall for the growing season leading up to vintage 2019 were around the median with 149 mm for the months of June, July and August and 208 mm for the calendar spring months. There was no run-off into irrigation storages and the long-term drying trend continues. After record heat in January 2019, the run-up to and through harvest was extraordinarily dry and stable. Between 1/2/2019 and 17/3/2019 we only recorded 3.8 mm of rain with temperatures 0.9C warmer than the same period for 2018.
Quality of each vintage is often determined by the stability of the ripening months, so 2019 holds above average promise for us here at Bloodwood even though yields were well down around 30% on a normal (sic) year. This is closely related to the continuing and intensifying drought we are all suffering and we give thanks for our limited access to irrigation.
Winemaking
For details of this wine you need look no further than the last entry in the “Styles” section of this site. http://www.bloodwood.biz/styles/63-red.html Because of the very small quantity (normally no more than 750 litres) produced from the vineyard, we consider ourselves lucky to make two or three barrels of Pinot Noir each vintage. 2019 provided three 300 litre hogsheads and 100 litres of topping material. As a consequence, there is
little room to engage in any fancy wine making or blending with Bloodwood Pinot Noir.
The grapes were de-stemmed, cold soaked and open fermented under natural yeasts with regular gentle hand plunging. The pressed wine was transferred warm to barrel where it finished malo-lactic conversion, and after 6 months in barrel, it was bench-trialled and transferred unfiltered into bottle in October 2019.
Wine Analysis
pH 3.41
Acidity 6.7 g/l
13.1% Al/Vol
Tasting Notes
Gorgeous bright carmine in colour, this positively gentle Pinot Noir’s bouquet of dusty, cherry chocolate and fresh, lipstick red berry fruits are caressed in restrained, fine-grained French oak tannins. If ladies old handbags have an elegant intrigue about them, then so does this beautifully textured Bloodwood Pinot Noir.
Alc/Vol 13.1%
“MV6(50% of the total), 777, 114 and 115 clones, hand-picked and sorted in the vineyard. Fermentation was initiated when 777 was ready, then co-fermented and pressed to new French barriques and hogsheads, matured for 5 months. Improbably, the wine isn’t smothered in oak, but it (oak) certainly provides a warm
doona. 94 Points”
“Destemmed whole berries were given a protracted pre-fermentation cold soak before a long, cool ferment, seemingly finished in barrel. Very good hue and clarity; red and black cherry fruit plus some plum is framed by unusually good tannins. A totally impressive Pinot.
Rating 95 points; 13% alc”
“Mid garnet; lifted cherry, bramble and mint are all evident on the bouquet; the palate is firm and fresh, certainly at the more savoury end of the pinot spectrum; a little more generosity is needed and may evolve with time.
Rating 89; 2014; 13% alc”
““It’s young for a Pinot but already showing a lot of charm and character. Sappy, foresty aromas of some complexity. Quite ripe and layered across the palate with just the right amount of tannins to give it a good backbone. Lovely balance and style”
(Houn Hooke Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine)”
“Bloodwood Orange Pinot Noir 2010
Approx. 85% clone MV6, with 777, 114 and 115, fully‑destemmed, given a cold soak and indigenous yeast fermented to 13.5% alc. in open fermenters with hand‑plunging, the temperature generally kept under 27°C.... Cloudy from being unfiltered, this is garnet‑hued red with a lighter edge and a hint of brick to the colour. This has a soft, full nose with volume, showing distinctive spearmint notes over red berry fruit aromas, fresh herb and oak spice nuances. Medium full‑bodied, this displays a herbal edge that integrates into a complex amalgam of savoury red plum fruits interwoven with mint and eucalypt nuances, earth and mushrooms. Subtle sour, cedary flavours unfold in layers. Rounded in texture with a chunky style, the wine has fine, grainy textures and grip contributing to the structure. Good acidity carries the flavours to moderately sustained finish. While showing minty elements, this has a complexity that develops in the glass; this flavoursome Pinot Noir will match Mediterranean cuisine over the next 4‑6 years. 17.0+/20
”