D’Arenberg The Feral Fox Pinot Noir 2019 brings serious personality to the glass. Expect a plush mix of dark cherry, bramble, and earthy forest notes with hints of spice and truffle. It starts silky and sweet, then tightens into a juicy, tangy finish. There’s structure here—bright acidity, a bit of grip, and a wild side from whole bunch fermentation. Decant it, give it some air, and let the complexity unravel. Drink now or hold for a few more years if you like your Pinots with extra depth.

Decanter | D 92
Published: Apr 3, 2021
Drink: 2021-2028

Angular on both nose and palate, with tangy blackberry and bramble fruit that is a bit lean and mean at present, with the volume turned up loud. It's lacking a little nuance, and has a powerful tart note on the warm finish, but perhaps needs a little time?
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 13.50%
Body: Medium
Grapes: 100% Pinot Noir / Pinot Nero

Jamessuckling.com | JS 90
Published: Aug 9, 2021

A rich, brambly style of pinot here with dark cherries, oak spice and blackberries, as well as red plums, set amid forest wood and some earthy tones, too. The palate has boldly fleshy, soft and ripe dark-cherry and berry flavors with a plush and even-paced feel. Drink over the next three years. Screw cap.

Darenberg.com.au

Silky, sweet and pure, with vibrant cherry and red berry flavours and a brisk, juicy finish.

2019 Tasting Note: 
Fabulous! This wine sings in the glass. Gently poached strawberry compote with twists of maraschino cherry. Given time in the glass will leave you wanting more. As it opens the palate offers touches of truffle, spice and forest floor adding layers of serious complexity. A bright acid backbone is a guarantee that this wine will develop with attitude and grace.

Winemaking:
Small batches of grapes are crushed gently and then transferred to two tonne headed down open fermenters. About 15% whole bunches are added and it undergoes approximately three days of cold soak prior to wild fermentation starting. Foot treading is undertaken on a regular basis throughout fermentation followed by gentle basket pressing. The wine is then transferred to older French oak barriques to complete primary and secondary fermentation. The wine is aged on lees for added complexity with no racking until final blending. The Feral Fox does not undertake fining or filtration prior to bottling.

Behind The Name:
The feral foxes that inhabit the Adelaide Hills have developed an appetite for grapes and can often be found eating low hanging bunches during vintage. We're not fussed though as these bushy tailed critters act as crop thinners and enhance the quality of grapes that are too high for them to reach. It also has the secondary effect of providing a natural source of fertilisation when the laxative nature of the grapes take effect on the normally carnivorous foxes.

The Vintage
Winter was quite dry, with sporadic light showers that didn’t penetrate the soil very deeply. This impacted budburst but was managed with some irrigation. During spring there was quite a strong wind event around the time of flowering, which upset some of the growth, especially in Shiraz.
Summer was hot, with an extreme heat wave and a record high temperature of 46.6C, which burnt some varieties like Petit Verdot. Most other varies managed to escape unscathed, which was surprising. Yields were down on most varieties. The quality, however, was excellent, exhibiting very varietal characteristics. Ferments had to be taken off a little earlier with higher sugar levels because of these strong tannins.