IF you like oven-baked salmon fillets, here's a perfect pairing. |
GREAT RESULTS FOR A HARSH TASKMASTER
David Ellis
JONATHON Hambrook is a pretty harsh taskmaster when it comes to the Pinot Noir vines on his Stockman's Ridge vineyard at Orange in the high, cool climate Central West of NSW.
But being that harsh taskmaster has paid off, with vines planted closer together (around just half the norm in distance between each vine,) pruning reducing each vine to just one cordon (the arm of the vine extending away from the trunk,) and each of those cordons being kept to eight spurs from which fruit will grow.
"This means that in a good year we're only asking each vine to produce eight excellent bunches of fruit after its 50% thinning rate, and in a bad year we can drop that crop further to ensure the vine produces just four really good bunches," Jonathon says..
"So it means that essentially we value quality over quantity, with each vine having to do less, and putting all its energy into the fruit and not the vine itself."
Jonathon took inspiration for this from many vineyard visits to France, particularly the Bordeaux and Burgundy regions, where he saw the advantage of such vineyard management. And as Pinot Noir is one of the better candidates for high density planting, it's all come together very well on his Stockman's Ridge.
A now-available 2015 Stockman's Ridge Handcrafted Pinot Noir has lovely forest floor and berry aromas plus hints of peppery sweet spice, and on the palate blackberries and plums that coat the mouth beautifully.
Pay $30 and pair perfectly with oven-baked salmon fillets.
24 July 17
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