Rochford Wines

Rochford Macedon Ranges Pinot Noir

Vintage
2003

Varieties
100% Pinot Noir (A blend of 4 clones, MV6, 114, 115 and G5V15)

Tasting Notes
Mid plum in colour and brilliant in clarity. The nose shows classic cool climate Pinot Noir fruit of dark cherry and spice overlayed with savoury oak. On the palate the flavours are subtle yet well defined. The palate is rich with a strong savoury note that runs into a velvety finish. There is a good balance of acid and tannin and a great persistence of flavour.

Cellaring
6 to 8 years

Winemaking
When making Pinot Noir we try to keep things as simple as possible and let the vineyard characters do all of the talking. After de-stemming and chilling the fruit was cold soaked for 7 days before the addition of a pure yeast culture. The wine was fermented for a further 7 days. During the cold-soak period colour and flavour are extracted in a aqueous solution, while the extraction of hard tannins is avoided. At about 1 degree Baume two thirds of the wine was transferred to new oak barrels where it completed it's fermentation. This gives good integration of the new oak and provides additional complexity. The balance of the wine was pressed at dryness, settled for 2 to 3 days to remove large solids, and then racked into oak for malo lactic fermentation. After malo lactic fermentation the wine was left to settle, racked, then returned to oak for a further 12 months maturation. The wine has not been fined but did receive a light filtration prior to bottling.

Viticultural Notes
The 2002/2003 growing season was mild and dry. All fruit was hand picked with the four different clones being picked over a period of three weeks.

Technical Data
Alcohol 14.0%
pH 3.62
Titratable acidity 6.0 grams per litre
Residual sugar 0.2 grams per litre

Accolades
Trophy Gold Medal - 2006 Decanter World Wine Awards
Bronze Medal - 2006 The International Wine & Spirit Competition
Gold Award - 2004 Royal Melbourne Wine Show

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