Jacob's Creek Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc 2012

Jacob's Creek Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc 2012

Jacob's Creek Pinot Noir 2012
Colour: Medium ruby red.
Bouquet: A lively, fruit-driven nose, showing complex yet varietal wild strawberry and sweet spice aromas.
Palate: Light to medium-bodied in structure with bright, juicy Pinot Noir fruit flavours supported by fine, savoury tannins and balanced acidity.

Release date: October 2012
Serving suggestion: Enjoy with a fresh duck or lamb salad, or any light meat dish.
Alcohol: 12.9 % alcohol/volume.
Awards: Bronze medal: 2013 Finger Lakes International Wine Comp. – USA

Vintage Conditions:
Winter rainfall prior to budburst was close to the long term average for most parts of South Eastern Australia, resulting in full soil moisture profiles in the vineyard. Weather conditions continued to be cooler throughout October to December, providing minimal stress on the vines. Estimated low yields materialised, which in turn brought harvest dates forward. Moderate conditions in the summer months with warm days and cool nights were ideal for allowing the fruit to ripen evenly, retaining natural acidity and fresh varietal flavours. Very few rain events during the final ripening period led to very low disease pressure. The combination of these weather conditions provided outstanding quality Pinot Noir fruit for our 2012 blend. A vintage to remember.

Winemaking:
Parcels of Pinot Noir grapes selected as having the potential for inclusion in this blend were handled in a range of ways to increase the complexity of the wine, while maintaining a focus on retaining fruit freshness. Some parcels were simply de-stemmed and crushed to small static fermenters in the traditional fashion whilst others were de-stemmed only or simply transferred through to ferment not crushed. This addition of whole berries and bunches in the ferment added an aromatic cherry-like lift to the wine. Extraction during fermentation on skins was monitored to ensure gentle, yet thorough, extraction of colour and varietal flavour within a framework of soft, fine tannin structure. After pressing off skins the individual parcels were kept separate to preserve their character and personality and provide a range of blending options to provide a soft, generously flavoured approachable style, synonymous with the philosophy behind Jacob's Creek.

Analysis:
Alcohol: 12.9 % alc/vol.
Total Acid: 6.0 g/L
pH: 3.53

Jacob's Creek Sauvignon Blanc 2012
Colour: Brilliant light straw yellow with green hues.
Bouquet: Attractive tropical passionfruit with hints of grapefruit.
Palate: The palate is soft and flavoursome, revealing passionfruit and citrus fruit characters before finishing with a clean, delicate acidity.

Release date: April 2012

Serving suggestion: Serve chilled. Enjoy with Sushi or fresh green salads.
Alcohol: 12.1% alcohol/volume.
Awards: Silver medal (Top Silver): 2012 Perth Royal Wine Show (Class 13)
Silver medal: 2012 Riverina Wine Show (Class 7)
Bronze medal: 2012 Cairns Show Wine Awards (Class 3.2)
Bronze medal: 2012 Cowra Wine Shop (Class 39)

Vintage Conditions:
Very good winter rains were recorded across all grape growing regions throughout South East Australia during winter prior to the 2012 growing season. Mild weather with moderate rainfall was observed throughout spring, providing excellent soil moisture profiles, which promoted healthy vine canopy development without the necessity for early season supplementary irrigation. The summer months were generally warm to hot across all regions of South Eastern Australia. These conditions produced one of the very best vintages in recent years allowing the Sauvignon Blanc fruit to ripen to its optimum. Fruit was harvested during the cool of the night at temperatures less than 15 degrees Celsius to minimise phenolic pick up. The Sauvignon Blanc shows perfect acid balance for the style, exhibiting the classic grapefruit, cut grass and passionfruit characters this varietal is known for.

Winemaking:
Fruit juice quality was maximised by harvesting at night in cooler temperatures followed by quick and gentle pressing regimes. The juice was chilled, clarified and cool fermented using specially selected yeast
strains to enhance the flavours classic to the Sauvignon Blanc style. After fermentation the best parcels of wine were selected to blend into a Sauvignon Blanc of the highest quality that is true to style. Anaerobic
wine handling prior to and during packaging has ensured that the fresh fruit aromas and flavours of this attractive wine style are retained within the screw capped sealed bottle.

Analysis:
Alcohol: 12.1% alc/vol.
Total Acid: 6.3 g/L
pH: 3.19