Aster Pinot Noir 2018
Tasting Notes
Bright fresh and juicy, and light too but with unmistakeable Pinot characters (strawberry and just a hint of plums) Aster is probably the lightest style of wine we make, but we love it, as do you, our customers. Chill it on a hot day, or serve with Chinese cooked duck on a cold day. It’s a versatile little number.
Vintage
We have above average winter rainfall and although we had a dry June, we recorded decent falls in July and August. Below average rainfall was recorded in spring, and we experienced some warm spring nights. Summer rain tally was also below average despite a wet December. McLaren Vale experienced warm a warm Autumn ripening period with low rainfall. Overall vintage in McLaren Vale produced wine of excellent quality and while total tonnages were down for the season, compared to a wet and fertile 2017, the reports from winemakers on wine quality has been almost universally positive.
Winemaking
Our Pinot Noir vineyard is one of the last left in McLaren Vale. Our Bradens vineyard is practically at sea level, and pinot lovers amongst you will shudder at the thought of this – Pinot performs better generally at altitude and with the corresponding much colder weather, even frost in winter. Never mind all that, our Pinot is still a fantastic example of the variety made to be on the lighter end of the continuum. We pick the Pinot a little leaner and ferment a proportion of it anaerobically (carbonic maceration) which helps soften the tannins. The wine spends about 6 months in older oak.
Other Vintages
Technical Details
Picking Date: 13th February 2018
Alc/Vol: 14.0%
Bottling Date: October 2018