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Yarra Valley Reserve Release Pinot Noir 2008

Region
Yarra Valley (Dixons Creek)

Appearance
Medium ruby red

Bouquet
Aromas of red currant, cherry and raspberry with subtle spice and some forest floor.

Palate
Medium bodied in weight. Richly textured. The palate is long and fine with gentle, defining tannins.

Vintage Conditions
The 2007-2008 growing season saw our earliest budburst for some time. Timely rainfall received in early summer (December and January) gave the vineyard some relief from a dry winter and spring. Conditions for ripening of Pinot Noir were ideal with warm days and cool nights and fruit was picked in optimal conditions.

Winemaking
Fruit was hand harvested from our oldest Pinot Noir vineyard (planted in 1971). The fruit is grown without the use of synthetic fungicides, pesticides or herbicides. The grapes were then hand sorted at the winery before being destemmed and transferred by gravity to an open fermenter. Fermentation proceeded naturally without the addition of yeast. After 21 days maceration and fermentation, the wine was carefully pressed, settled overnight and then filled to barrel via gravity. It is allowed to mature for 10 months at 16˚C. The wine is then racked by gravity and filled to bottle without fining or filtration. Malolactic fermentation was allowed to proceed naturally and was completed after 4 months.

Wine Analysis
Alc/Vol : 13.0 % pH : 3.59 TA : 6.3 g/L

Cellaring
Will continue to develop if stored correctly between 14°C and 16°C.

Suggested Cuisine
Try with Peking Duck

General Characteristics
Dry Medium Bodied

93 Points
"Very gentle, likely to flesh out and age slowly, with a dusty, floral scent of rose garden, musk and intense red cherries backed by meaty, faintly stalky nuances, with suggestions of spice and briar. It's supple and elegant, with a long, soft and gentle expression of fresh red berries and cherries supported by fine, bony tannins and finishing with suppleness and spice."

Jeremy Oliver, The Australian Wine Annual 2012, October 2011

93 Points

no review given, just rated

James Halliday, Wine Companion 2012, August 2011

USA
91 Points
"The 2008 Yarra Valley Reserve Release Pinot Noir has a pale ruby color with a hint of orange and expressive notes of warm raspberries and strawberry preserves with nuances of dried Mediterranean herbs, mocha and cinnamon stick. Light to medium bodied with a backbone of very high acid and medium level grainy tannins, it has just enough berry flavor and a long finish. Drinking nicely now, it should remain good through 2014."

Lisa Perotti-Brown, eRobertParker, June 2011

94 Points
"Darker and riper fruits here. A distinctly earthy and spicy wine with toasted spices - savoury and brooding. Dark-fruit flavours steeped in toasted spices roll along on sheets of nutty tannins, which build and fan out through the finish. A study in structure, with lingering spices to close."

Nick Stock, The Age - Good Wine Guide 2011, January 2011

95 Points
"A masterfully crafted Pinot with engineering that reflects the even more finely tuned machine that is De Bortoli. Every element coalesces to create seamless line of purity. An ethereal wine with everything that you would expect from the Yarra's finest and a level of silky suppleness again."

Tyson Stelzer, Wine 100, December 2010

95 Points

A very expressive bouquet, with elements of spice, cedar and smoke; the palate has great length and outstanding texture, line and length; very attractive red fruits at the core.

James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2011, August 2010

96 Points and 4 Star Value
"De Bortoli pinot noir has been on a steady rise for a decade, but it's really hit some top notes here.
Less showy and exuberant than the estate-grown version (of the same vintage), but longer and keener from the middle of your mouth onward. A ripping wine. This is a dry, serious, ageworthy style with a wealth of chalky tannin. Lots of earthy, undergrowth, twiggy characters too but overall it's beautifully ripe and fine. Quite brilliant. DRINK 2011-2018."

Campbell Mattinson and Gary Walsh, The Big Red Wine Book 2010/11, June 2010