Pinot Noir or the heartbreak grape so to speak. So much love and wonder in one little grape, but also much sweat and tears.
If you're a winemaker, it's a promise to break your heart at some point in your career.
Out in the vineyard, the vines are early to bud making it susceptible to spring frost. Thin skinned and delicate. The fruit will bruise Easily be over taken by rain prolific rot. Loves powdery mildew. Needs the ideal climate, humidity, sunshine, growing degree days; if not she's gonna break your heart.
In the cellar, too hot, too cold, too macerated, too quick to ferment. BAM! You've lost the subtlety, delicacy, intricate flavours profile.
....but when the stars align, the frost stays away, the rain doesn't fall and the cellar is wonderful. Pinot Noir is amazing. It's a wine that moves you, with complexity and depth, she offers you more and more every time your nose apporoachs the glass, on every swirl. As the air gets to it, and it opens so to say. The primary notes, the secondary touch. Fruit and earth blended together.
This Ontario, Canadian Pinot comes from a well known producer, Trius (formerly Hillebrand) This is there upper tier Showcase Series. Small lot, vineyard specific selected sites. (more on the patchwork of soils in Ontario another time)
Nose: Blueberry birch, black licorice, cinnamon sticks, stewed plums
Palate: Stewed plums and christmas cake, carmalized beets with old leather bound books.
*showing some advance signs of aging I think for a 2016, but it only spent 10 monthes in oak.
Cheers!
