Bouchard Finlayson Hemel-en-Aarde Valley Pinot Noir 2011 93 Points

Bouchard Finlayson Hemel-en-Aarde Valley Pinot Noir

Latest released Pinot from another established South African producer, sporting for the first time wine of origin Hemel-en-Aarde, all previous vintages were wine of origin Walker Bay.

There are move to see all future releases sporting Hemel-en-Aarde as a point of differentiation, so expect to see the Missionvale Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc as being more site / ward specific, whereas the Kaaimansgat Chardonnay will remain Overberg wine of origin, as well as the use of Estate status on the label, going forward.

2011 exhibits a ruby red with garnet hue, brown towards the rim, less dark than in previous vintages.

Clean, high intensity, riper side of Pinot, seductive note of dark sour cherries in eau de vie, strawberry jam, orange peel complexity, earthy brush, excellent purity of fruit with subtle spicy oak, lending cedar wood and tobacco ash note, alcohol slightly noticeable!

Dry with high racy acidity, crisp and linear, very good precision, laser beam like, lots of energy here, delicate extraction, with firm crunchy ripe tannins on the high side, sappy, savoury with leathery complexity on texture, vibrant, with lots of mid palate stuffing, full bodied, the alcohol is high at 14% abv, but smartly integrated, using previous vintages as a guide, surprisingly this bottle is approachable already, yet have stamina for long term development, now until 2027+