Vintage 2011
ORIGIN:
Wairau River, Marlborough, New Zealand
STORY:
Bel Echo, the French translation of ‘beautiful echo’, is the echo or opposite of our Clos Henri wines. Bel Echo is a terroir selection from our estate. Grapes for the Pinot Noir are sourced predominantly from a small, stony block on the western side of our estate. Bel Echo Pinot Noir has great purity and fruit brightness from the Greywacke stones, whereas the Clos Henri Pinot Noir is more of a voluptuous expression from the clay.
WINEMAKER’S COMMENTS
“We believe we have to make the most of the experience acquired by the Bourgeois family, thereby making a Pinot Noir that respects the French winemaking tradition. We also believe that we ought to make a wine that respects the Marlborough character. This wine shows great classical lines while enriched with the astonishing Marlborough fruit personality. This personality is sourced from our unique terroir and revealed through its fine aromatic intensity. With the vines getting older, the quality and finesse of the Bel Echo is continuously surprising us and hints at the true potential of our site.”
Damien Yvon, Winemaker
VITICULTURE
Terroir:
Greywacke riverbed(65%), Broadbridge clay (35%)
High Density Planting:
5050 vines/ha
Yield:
6t/Ha (45Hl/Ha)
Grown predominantly on our stony free draining soils, this Pinot Noir expresses great lifted bright fruit notes and a hint of smokiness while being quite linear and tight in mouth giving fascinating characters and personality.
VINTAGE
2011 was the second vintage that we used no irrigation in the vineyard. These strict hydric conditions stressed the vines to just the right level in order to improve tannin structure and enable the roots to go deeper in the soil, thereby getting the purest expression of our terroir.
WINEMAKING
This wine was fermented in large French oak vats and then 40% was aged in these large oak vats to maintain fruit integrity. The remaining 60% went to old French oak barrels. This fine balance between the fruit and the oak enables the tannins to soften while helping to develop a vibrant and charismatic Pinot Noir.
TASTING
The nose has a soft liquorice aroma, with notes of dark fruit, mushroom and violets petals. In the
mouth the wine is rounded with a lovely smoky oak texture. It develops a juicy mouthfeel with great structure and without being too heavy.
Ageing potential: 5-6 years
Source:
www.closhenri.com
