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VOSS ESTATE PINOT NOIR – Winter 2006
2004 - ruby red, clear and bright . Nose - soft red berry fruit, strawberry with rose petal, some smoky oak . Palate - lively & bright, medium bodied, pretty red berry, already developing earthy savoury notes with charry oak. Cellar 5-6 years.
2003 -dark red, hints of purple on rim. Nose - rich primary pinot fruit, smoky oak. Palate - full bodied, ripe plum, smoky oak char, good chewy tannins, well balanced. Big, well structured wine that will age very well. Still has its best to come when the oak tannins & rich, ripe fruit integrate. 6-7 years cellaring, probably optimal 2009.
2002 - red crimson. Nose - nice bouquet, hints of violets, lovely perfume, lifted & aromatic. Palate - crisp, very well balanced, vinous, nice acidity, smooth tannins, red berry fruit, hints of dried herbs & spicy cinnamon notes. The acidity & tannin structure suggests many years to go. 4-5 years, fruit peaking, very nice drink now.
2001 - Very dark magenta red. Nose - truffles & dark chocolate, black fruit. Palate - full bodied, rich & dark, hints of coffee mocha, great tannins, big solid brooding wine – not for the faint hearted. Hints of alcohol on the finish. Black forest gateau. 1996 was a similar hot, dry year. Low acid, high alcohol styles don’t tend to last that well. Perhaps this big style wine will be best consumed in the next 2 or 3 years.
2000 -clear, bright red magenta. Nose - lovely perfume, dark cherries & hints of plum. Palate - delicious, sweetly fruited. Lovely complexity, silky texture. All components coming together. Ripe cherry, hints of fruitcake. Nice earthy aromas. Sappy acidity suggests 3-4 more years cellaring but very enjoyable now. We will be drinking our stocks of this wine through to 2007. At its peak now.
1999 - dark red, slightly cloudy. Nose - classic farmyard burgundy, savoury cinnamon. Palate - savoury spicy, nutmeg & clove, red berry - hints of gamey earthiness. Very fresh, crisp acidity. Easily mistaken for a top flight red burgundy. Still fresh & vibrant. Delicious wine, absolute optimum drinking now but if you prefer aged characters to primary fruit then cellar for another 3 to 4 years.
1998 - very bright, dark red. Nose - smoky rich berry perfume. Palate - full bodied, rich & powerful. A lovely wine. Chewy tannins, tremendous structure after 8 years. Still youthful. Lots of primary fruit, plum, black cherry, still with fresh acidity. 1998 was a very hot, dry vintage in Martinborough, similar to 1996. This wine has the tannin structure & acidity to suggest further cellaring potential. The 1996 has, however, fallen so we suggest drinking now to late 2008.
1997 - clear & bright, dark red with hints of ageing on rim. Nose - subdued with hints of aged maturing fruit. Palate - medium bodied, glace cherries, slightly medicinal, chewy tannins, acid still lively. Sappy finish. 1997 was a cooler year - this wine has reached its peak - still with bright acidity, however, the fruit is starting to fall away. Suggest drinking now.
1996 - very dark wine, hints of brick red on rim. Nose - porty, like an aged Australian shiraz. Palate - sweet, un-Pinot like, still very solid with dark liquorice fruit, muscular & slightly disjointed. High alcohol – 1996 was a very hot year. This wine was very big & luscious when young & very popular but obviously lacks the acidity to age for 10 years. A curiosity piece, the only wine I consider to be past it.
1995 - dark red, some browning edge. Nose - savoury, spicy notes. Palate - sweetly fruited, truffles, leather & spicy cinnamon sticks, a slight mulled wine effect. Still very fresh with the fruit changing from primary plum & cherry to more developed aged fruitcake. Still very drinkable & moreish if you like that aged style. Probably will not progress much further in the cellar.
1994 - dark red with browning edge. Nose - spice, spice, spice with toasty oak. Palate - full bodied, hints of herb. Crisp acidity, quite remarkable that the wine is still intact. Aged red berry fruit underpinned with spicy cinnamon oak. A bit medicinal on the finish but still sappy & lively. A good example of a very old Pinot. No point cellaring further.
1993 - light cherry with brick colours. Nose - herbs & spicy cinnamon, still fresh. Palate - still lively with crisp acidity. Herbaceous fruit, somewhat tired, no longer fruit driven, still completely drinkable. Glazed cherries & mushroom. Still intact(just), no point cellaring further.
Summary: In summary it seems our fruit driven style of Pinots age gracefully for 7 to 8 years. At this point the fruit changes from plum and ripe cherry to a more savoury, spicy style – still drinkable but completely different wines. It is noticeable that stylistically the hot years, 1996, 1998 and 2001 are more developed with lower acidity. We suggest you enjoy the pre - 1998 wines now as they will not improve with further cellaring. In general, the 1998, 1999 & 2000 wines are fantastic but could last longer. The 2001 & younger wines will quite happily rest in your cellar for many more years.
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