Corofin Cowley Family Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016

Cowley Family Vineyard is located in the Ben Morven foothills of Marlborough. It’s a magnificent, sweeping site, divided into a large number of sub-plots and nurtured meticulously (and organically) by Ben Cowley. Corofin’s fruit comes from the main slopes, planted at a density of 3,800 vines per hectare on clay-rich soils. 2015 was the first year that Paterson worked exclusively with the vineyard’s 20 year old Abel vines – colloquially known as the Gumboot clone. The Abel fruit is prized for its natural acidity and tannins. Corofin’s 2016 from this site is darker and inkier than the Settlement, but it lacks nothing in both energy and lift. Expect dark cherry and iodine scented fruit and a savoury palate with fine tannins. Winemaking notes: Four days in sealed tanks with 25% whole bunches, then foot trodden, natural ferment, 21 days on skins, pressed to old barrel; spontaneous malolactic in the late spring/early summer with the wine remaining on original lees for 13 months; racked to tank for six months, before being bottled without fining or filtration in mid-November 2017.