Re: Grasshopper Rock Pinot Noir
A further allocation has been placed on Advance Booking as we get ready to ship the wine in the next few weeks.
Have a look on our page if you missed out or want to stock up. And do follow us.
I am thrilled with the comments we are getting from Arch Angels, you are such passionate wine drinkers, and it feels all our effort is worthwhile. As always we love to hear from you.
Cheers
Phil@GrasshopperRock

Phil 07:38 26/08/2010

The Grasshopper Rock Pinot Noir 2008 was excellent - when will it be available to buy?

Graham 15:47 23/08/2010

Looking forward to receiving it as i am a great fan of NZ wines

Tony 09:14 20/08/2010

Grasshopper Rock Pinot Noir 2008:

Seem unable to attach this review to the wine itself just yet, but in the hope that enough people will read it here to take advantage of what is increasingly looking like the bargain of the year in the advance bookings!

After a monumentally shocking day at work, I've brought forward my Friday treat to tonight. I've been looking forward to this wine since it hit (not literally) my doormat earlier in the week. I'm a big fan of new world pinot noir as some of other reviews will hopefully attest. Some of the PN coming out of Australia at the moment is belting, and a recent trip to the US opened my eyes to some of the fantastic PN wines over there, particularly those from Oregon.

But for me, New Zealand Pinot Noir remains a cut above. And of the NZ regions, producing PN, Central Otago is where it's at. What a joy then to find such a fine example in the Naked stable. The nose is actually pretty robust - not something I often find with Pinot. As soon as it's in your mouth tough, the game changes. It's heftier (not heavy, just larger...) than a lot of new world pinot, and no bad thing for it. One of the things I love about good Pinot is the transformation in flavour between the front and back of the mouth. At the front, it's full of earthy and smoky undertones. Some fruit, but not a great deal. It's when it gets to the throat that it really comes alive. There's a fruit-laden warmth to it that I just find addictive (hopefully not actually addictive etc etc...) The warmth I would guess is down to the alcohol. Some would, I'm sure, complain of alcohol burn, but to me it's one of the great things about a wine like this.

Do yourself a favour. Pick up a case at the amazing price currently available in advance bookings, and keep a bottle or two (if you can) for those long winter nights. I'm off to grab another glass.

Tim 19:00 19/08/2010

Following a kind of tradition that we started in 2007, the first maturity control of our grapes was carried out on August 10th. With a temperature of 43º, my sister in the beach, the sun on my back and the river down in the valley but not at an approachable distance, I wondered why I decided to live in the Douro. Not even the grapes were of any help to hydrate me, as they are still unripe and acid. Some berries are still green, specially Tinto Cão and Sousão. And that was the big conclusion: maturity is late. As sugar levels are still low, with an average potential alcohol of 10.05%, grapes need at least four more weeks in the vines. We should not start harvesting in Quinta Vale d’Agodinho before September 20th.

Alcohol on August 10th       Harvest starting
2007 10.49%                                September 19th
2009 11.86%                                September 14th
2010 10.05%                                            ?

The biggest contribution for this delay in the maturation comes from the very cold Winter we had. Budbreak and flowering both came later than usual, and so will the harvest. Another interesting thing I noticed that shows pretty well how the Winter and Spring were in terms of rainfall, was the vigor of the shooting. The high levels of humidity in the soil helped the vines to grow more branches and leaves than they normally do. All these shooting has been controlled and cut to focus the vine in the maturation of what is really important: the grapes.

Is there any question you'd like to be answered about winemaking in the Douro valley?

Oscar

Oscar 13:30 18/08/2010