Vintage Notes
The 2021 vintage was the second consecutive cooler than average vintage after a sequence dominated by above average temperature vintages from 2006 to 2019.
At Foggy Hill, 2021 was cooler than average with a growing season heat summation (HDD) of 1330°C days below the average of 1331°C days. In 2021 there were no heat waves and the only two months of above average temperature were November and April. Fruit set in late November established a bigger than average crop of 7 tonnes/hectare.
In 2021, Foggy Hill delivered disease free, thoroughly ripe fruit in perfect condition at very moderate sugar levels. The 2021 Foggy Hill Pinot Noir was harvested between the 17th and 20th 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. Because of the cool vintage, no whole fruit was included in the fermentation tubs. The tubs were filled with destemmed, crushed, and chilled must, before being immediately 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.
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 January 2022.
The in-bottle analysis is:
pH 3.55
Total Acid 5.9 gpl
SO2 108 ppm
Volatile Acid 0.56 gpl
Alcohol 12.5% v/v.
Winemaker BRIAN CROSER
The Taste of the Wine
2021 Foggy Hill Pinot Noir is an above average crop, cool vintage expression of the Foggy Hill terroir.
The wine is translucent with a light purple-red hue. The aroma is floral and fresh with raspberry and strawberry fruit notes layered over the complex Foggy Hill ripe plum terroir expression.
The aroma effect is ethereal. The flavours are lilting and fresh but intense, allowed to express fully by the very moderate alcohol. The tannins are forceful for such a delicate wine, but they are refined.
2021 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.”
