Vintage Notes
2020 vintage was a rare cooler than average vintage in an increasing frequency of above average temperature vintages. Meanwhile the average moves inexorably upward.
At Foggy Hill 2020 was cooler than average with a growing season heat summation (HDD) of 1290°C days below the average of 1360°C days. In 2020 there were no heat waves. Nights were warmer and days cooler than average and that is a plus for quality. As well as being cool, 2020 delivered 82% of normal rainfall during the growing season.
Fruit set in late November established a small crop of 4 tonnes/hectare that required no fruit thinning. In 2020 Foggy Hill delivered disease free, thoroughly ripe fruit in perfect condition at moderate sugar levels.
2020 Foggy Hill Pinot Noir was harvested between the 14th and 22nd of March which is the normal harvest window.
Winemaking Notes
The hand harvested Pinot Noir fruit from Foggy Hill Vineyard was delivered to the Tapanappa Winery in the Piccadilly Valley.
There 15% of chilled whole bunches was placed in the bottom of each 0.8 tonne fermentation tub. The tubs were topped with destemmed, crushed and chilled must and allowed a two-day cold soak beginning at 2°C, then inoculated with our own grown yeast strain and allowed to ferment to a maximum temperature of 33°C with daily hand plunging of the cap. The whole bunches at the bottom of the tubs were progressively crushed to release their sugar.
At the end of fermentation after 16 days, the tubs were sealed to allow 5 days of maceration on skins then pressed block by block, clone by clone, to barriques (one third new) with an inoculation of a malo-lactic bacterial strain. After malo-lactic fermentation on full lees, the batches were racked and returned to barrique for maturation. After 10 months in barrique the Foggy Hill batches were clear racked and blended ready for bottling in December 2020.
pH 3.67
Total Acid 5.83 g/L
SO2 108ppm
Volatile Acid 0.53 gpl
Alcohol 13.9 %
Winemaker BRIAN CROSER
The Taste of the Wine
2020 Foggy Hill Pinot Noir is a low crop, cool vintage expression of the Foggy Hill terroir.
The wine is translucent with a purple-red hue. The aroma is floral with dark plum and blue berry fruits and the faint spice of stalks. There is an exotic Chinse 5 spice aroma and the oak provides a complexing char note and all of this is reflected in the flavour of the wine. The flavours are rich and complex and the tannins noticeable but refined.
2020 Tapanappa Foggy Hill Pinot Noir is the reflection of the perfectly ripe fruit from which it was made and is a “typical expression of the unique Foggy Hill terroir.”