Five clones of pinot noir and two clones of chardonnay were used to blend Pelorus Vintage 2004. Following harvest, the grapes were pressed without crushing and after a short settling period, the juice was racked and inoculated.
A portion of the juice was racked to barrels and allowed to undergo a fermentation carried out by indigenous yeast. A warm primary fermentation in a mixture of stainless steel tanks, large oak vats and French oak barrels was followed by spontaneous malolactic fermentation. The base wines were then aged for a further nine months on lees prior to blending in October 2004.
The final assemblage of approximately 60% pinot noir and 40% chardonnay was put on tirage in December 2004 using prise de mousse yeast and subsequently aged on lees for three years prior to disgorging early in 2008.
