| Making Headlines with Pinot Noir |
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 “Making good wine is a skill. Making fine wine is an art.” Robert
Moldavi could well have had Bouchard Finlayson in mind when he wrote
this in his autobiography, Harvests of Joy.
 “Making good wine is a skill. Making fine wine is an art.” Robert Moldavi could well have had Bouchard Finlayson in mind when he wrote this in his autobiography, Harvests of Joy.With the highest price at the 25th Cape Winemakers Guild (CWG) auction and a trophy at the prestigious 2009 Decanter World Wine Awards, Bouchard Finlayson certainly staked their claim (again) as producers of the finest of wines. The two Bouchard Finlayson Pinot Noirs that excelled recently are the Unfiltered Pinot Noir 2007 and the Galpin Peak Pinot Noir 2008, again underlining this well-known and highly respected wine producer’s uncompromising commitment to producing only the finest quality wines. The Unfiltered Pinot Noir achieved the highest price at the 25th Cape Winemakers Guild (CWG) Auction in Stellenbosch, while the Galpin Peak Pinot Noir won a trophy at the prestigious 2009 Decanter World Wine Awards in the UK. Pinot Noir is frequently referred to as the ‘Holy Grail’ or ‘heartbreak grape’ in the wine making industry, for both the winemakers and wine lovers. It can be sublime, but is more often than not it can also be disappointing. Bouchard Finlayson, the well-known and respected Pinot noir producer in the beautiful Hemel en Aarde Valley, assisted by Teresa De Villiers, has built an enviable reputation for producing outstanding wines – but especially so for their superlative Pinot noirs. At the 2009 CWG Auction the highest price fetched for a case of wine (equivalent of 6 x 750ml bottles) was R5 200.00 by Bouchard Finlayson for their Unfiltered Pinot Noir 2007 (1,5 litre bottles). “This just goes to show that even with the global economic downturn, there will always be a market for exceptional quality,” says Johan Malan, CWG chairman. Bouchard Finlayson’s Galpin Peak Pinot Noir 2008 was awarded a trophy in the over £10 category and was described by the judges as “earthy, farmyardy and rustic on the nose ... with wild strawberry jam fruit (and) a dash of green stalk flavour and a dry finish.” It was also placed right at the top under Decanter’s “Who makes the best Pinot noir in the World?” with a five star rating. Referring to these two achievements, winemaker (and Pinot pioneer), Peter Finlayson says: “The Hemel en Aarde Valley has consistently offered world class quality Pinot noir wines. It’s the result of an ideal combination of soil and climate (terroir) we have here - a situation which is fortunately repeated year after year.” Asked about the Unfiltered Pinot Noir 2007, Finlayson said super summer weather conditions presented quality fruit which met all expectations of the rewarding 2007 Pinot noir vintage. The wine has engaging cherry aromas with long, velvety and concentrated black fruit and a mouth-filling palate feel. With regard to the Galpin Peak Pinot Noir 2008, Finlayson said: “This is no doubt one of the fruitiest presentations of Galpin Peak in many years. It has an appealing fresh fruit structure with accentuated length and elegance on the palate.” He added that one could expect increased elegance and softness with aging. The Bouchard Finlayson Galpin Peak Pinot noir 2008, which retails for R205.00 per bottle, has a 13.81% alcohol per volume. |