Media Release
For immediate release
BOUCHARD FINLAYSON PINOT NOIR THE MOST TERROIR EXPRESSIVE GRAPE OF ALL THE GRAPE VARIETIES
Visitors to the Cape Wine Show from 15 – 17 September 2015 will find Bouchard Finlayson
on stand H85, where they can enter daily competitions to win prizes; and also represented at
the Hemel-en-Aarde Winegrowers’ Association stand O104.
South Africa’s ‘Pinot Pioneer’ Peter Finlayson is widely credited with putting the
Walker Bay area on the wine map, having set up the first modern-day winery in the
Hemel-en-Aarde valley in 1989, on 125 hectares (312 acres) of prime viticultural land. In
2000, Bouchard Finlayson was subsequently bought by the Tollman family, founders
and owners of The Red Carnation Hotel Collection. Today 22 hectares (54 acres) of
the estate are under vine, with 50% devoted to the varietal that remains Bouchard
Finlayson’s distinctive calling card – Pinot noir. Under the leadership of Victoria Tollman
and Peter Finlayson, Bouchard Finlayson’s flagship Galpin Peak Pinot noir and icon
Tête de Cuvée Galpin Peak Pinot noir have become renowned on a global scale,
winning many an international award along the way.
The maturity of the Bouchard Finlayson vines plays an integral part in the vineyard’s success
with the challenging grape, presenting designer fruit of targeted structure and elegance.
Another ameliorating factor is Finlayson’s viticulture approach of planting vines close
together - a method that is unusual in the Cape but offers greater competition between
vines, leading to less vigour and consequently brighter wines with more depth and colour.
This approach harks back to the past, when vineyards were tended by horses - 65% of
Bouchard Finlayson’s vineyard lands are free of wheeled tractors.
Says Finlayson about the elusive grape: ‘My association with Pinot noir has been a
lifelong adventure. No matter how long it takes, this alluring and capricious grape
remains the ultimate tease in winemaking. Suitable habitats are scarce and
selected terroir opportunities are few and far between. The Hemel-en-Aarde
region has repeatedly proven itself as valuable terroir and has finally arrived as an
internationally acknowledged micro-location for the production of the finest
quality Pinot noir.’
The 2013 vintage represents the 21st edition of Galpin Peak Pinot Noir from the property.
The wet conditions of that season threatened to spoil Bouchard Finlayson’s famed vintage,
with Finlayson admitting that they were faced with an uncomfortable and unpredictable
weather game: ‘We have to thank our special little wine gods for insisting on producing a
great Pinot vintage!’
2012 meanwhile turned out to be a fine vintage year for the Tête de Cuvée Galpin Peak
Pinot Noir. Bouchard Finlayson’s Icon wine presents a cameo selection of the top 12 Pinot
Noir barrels from any particular vintage. This is the winemaker’s opportunity to showcase
the very best from certain vintages, and means that not every vintage proves to be suitable
quality for this selection. Comments Finlayson: ‘What makes Pinot Noir so special is that it
displays both a delicacy and richness. It is often quoted as depicting little varietal character
of its own, but rather expressing the terroir upon which it is grown – it hence carries the
crown of being the most terroir expressive of all the grape varieties.’
Tasting Notes
2013 Galpin Peak Pinot Noir (cellar door price R283)
This is a confident and classic wine, able to match the best on offer. The flavour profile is
firm and polished, without being overstated. It is classically old-world with good ageing
potential. Notes of peppery spice mingle with black berry and cherry flavours, ending in a
harmonious and long sweet mineral aftertaste.
2012 Tête de Cuvée Galpin Peak Pinot Noir (cellar door price R765)
A warm but mild growing season producing neat, top quality grapes which only needed to
careful guidance for an enviable result. Further maturation in quality first-fill Burgundian
barrels has ameliorated this opportunity to show its best. The palate offers fine, rich fruit
with whiffs of raspberry, plum and oaky blackberry tones. This vintage is rich, long on the
back palate with great structure and long harmonious layers of velvety tannins, promising
rewarding years of complex development.
ABOUT BOUCHARD FINLAYSON
Established in 1989 in the temperate Hemel-en-Aarde Valley on 125 hectares (312 acres) of
Walker Bay's prime viticultural land, Bouchard Finlayson Vineyard and Winery is a small
cellar dedicated to the quality production of Pinot noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc.
Ever since releasing their first vintages, the name Bouchard Finlayson has been
internationally synonymous with excellence. Today, owned by the Red Carnation Hotels’
Tollman family and under the leadership of Victoria Tollman and winemaker Peter
Finlayson, 22 hectares (54 acres) of the estate are currently under vine with 50% devoted to
the varietal for which Peter is most acclaimed – Pinot noir. Other cultivars under production
include Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc and Sangiovese, as well as a handful under
exploration. Bouchard Finlayson is an accredited Championship member of the Biodiversity
and Wine initiative (BWI).
Situated on the R320 near Hermanus, Bouchard Finlayson vineyard and winery is open for
tastings and sales Monday to Friday from 09h00 to 17h00 and on Saturdays from 10h00 to
13h00. For further information, call +27 28 312 3515; email [email protected];
or visit www.bouchardfinlayson.co.za.
Online Media Gallery: http://media.redcarnationhotels.com.
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Ends
Issued by FIVESTAR PR
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On behalf of Bouchard Finlayson
Karen Davison
PR and Marketing Liaison
Tel: + 27 +28 312 3515
Email: [email protected]
www.bouchardfinlayson.co.za