Tasting Notes
13.5% ABV
A medium bodied pinot noir; ruby colour in the glass, go looking for notes of red fruits and savory characteristics.
Behind the Scenes
In the arts and literature, the term avant-garde identifies an experimental genre or work of art; as this was the first wine I have ever made I decided to bold and use some alternative wine making techniques that I have not often seen used for Pinot Noir. The 2 main alternative techniques that inspired this name were carbonic maceration and extended time on skins, which was post-fermentation maceration. It involved leaving the grape skins, seeds, and any stalks in contact with the wine for a length of time after the primary fermentation has ended to optimise the colour, flavour and tannin structure of the wine.
The Pinot Noir grapes were hand picked 16th March 2024 from a vineyard in the Southern Highlands. We picked the gleanings of the vineyard that were left over from the machine harvester.
The grapes were de-stemmed and crushed by hand into an open top fermenter and we selected about 20% whole clusters for carbonic maceration.
The cap was punched down daily until fermentation had settled and the wine was left on skins for 8 weeks to help develop colour and complexity.
11th May 2024 the skins were basket pressed.
14th June 2024 French Oak wood chips were added and the wine was left on oak for 5 months to 18th November 2024 when racking began to prepare for bottling.
The wine was bottled 23rd November 2024. Approximately 6 cases, 60-72 bottles were produced.
I hope you enjoy the Avant Garde Pinot Noir Southern Highlands 2024 by Chateau Follent.