Hatherleigh Pinot Noir 2004
Hatherleigh vineyard lies on an east facing slope above the village of Laggan, near Crookwell, in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales. The topsoil lies over a red cracking clay derived from Ordovician/Silurian mudstones and siltstones with quartzite inclusions. The soil retains water through spring, but dries rapidly in summer. The vineyard lies at 910 metres altitude and close to the top of the Great Dividing Range. Rainfall is predominantly in the winter and early spring. There is nevertheless significant summer rainfall, but this is mostly from thunderstorms, which dump their rain quickly and then allow the vineyard to dry out. The area avoids the humid, drizzly weather found in the Southern Highlands, some 90 km to the east. The climate is cool continental, with a mean January temperature of 18.6°C and temperature summation of 1127 HDD.
The growing season was warm, after a bitterly cold October, with enough rainfall to maintain vine health. The grapes were picked on 25th April and 2nd May. This is a very stylish, finely structured Pinot with red plum flavours and the silky tannins and rich, plump middle palate I’m looking for. It finishes with good length of flavour. It will age well, gaining more complexity until at least 2010. A great accompaniment to duck and flavoursome poultry dishes.
