Casas del Bosque Pequeñas Producciones Pinot Noir 2014
Ruby red in colour. On the nose an exuberant bouquet of dark cherry and cedar is accompanied by savoury notes of smoke, moist earth and bramble. In the mouth layered flavours of blackberry and dark chocolate give way to a smoky/mineral finish. A well integrated oak backbone is backed-up by abundant, well-rounded tannins lending excellent length and structure.92 pts Vinous (JR)
(raised in French oak barrels, 21 percent of them new, for 14 months) Bright ruby-red. Ripe, spice-tinged black raspberry, smoked meat, vanilla and incense on the deeply perfumed nose. Intense red and dark berry liqueur and spicecake flavors are lifted and sharpened by a smoky mineral flourish. Concentrated as well as lively, finishing with impressive persistence and sexy notes of candied violet and toasty oak spices.
91 pts Descorchados 2016
90 pts Wine Spectator
Lush, with good cut to the brambly flavors of dried cherry and pomegranate, framed by medium-grained tannins. Brick and hot stone notes show on the finish. Drink now through 2020. 500 cases made. –KM
92 pts Vinous (JR)
(raised in French oak barrels, 21 percent of them new, for 14 months) Bright ruby-red. Ripe, spice-tinged black raspberry, smoked meat, vanilla and incense on the deeply perfumed nose. Intense red and dark berry liqueur and spicecake flavors are lifted and sharpened by a smoky mineral flourish. Concentrated as well as lively, finishing with impressive persistence and sexy notes of candied violet and toasty oak spices.
91 pts Descorchados 2016
90 pts Wine Spectator
Lush, with good cut to the brambly flavors of dried cherry and pomegranate, framed by medium-grained tannins. Brick and hot stone notes show on the finish. Drink now through 2020. 500 cases made. –KM
All fruit was sourced from our own vineyard – located within the coolest, westernmost reaches of the Casablanca Valley. Sourced from two 13 year old hillside blocks planted with the “Valdivieso” field selection on a red clay mixed with decomposed granite. The blocks used in this blend were cropped at an average of 4.5 tonnes per hectare (1.8t/acre). Harvest was carried out by hand between April and May 2014. On arrival at the winery all grapes were first subjected to a whole cluster selection. This was followed by destemming (without crushing) and then an individual berry selection before being gravity fed to small open-top tanks. A 10 day cold soak (at 5ºC/41ºF) ensued after which time the must was warmed and inoculated with selected yeasts (Assmanhaussen and RC212) and fermented during 18 days with temperatures peaking at 32ºC/90ºF. During fermentation the vats were hand-plunged twice daily in order to extract the ideal amount of tannin and colour. Following the completion of fermentation the wine was drained off (after a total maceration time of 28 days) and put to barrel. The wine was aged for a total of 14 months in French oak barrels (60% of which were new, and 40% of which were third use) before being bottled without filtration. After bottling the finished wine was carefully aged for three months in our cellar prior to release.
