Situated in the pristine Hemel-en-Aarde valley, along the R320 just outside of the seaside hamlet of Hermanus, is the picturesque Bouchard Finlayson winery. Named after founder, Peter Finlayson and Burgundian winemaker Paul Bouchard, this wine producer has garnered award upon award and accolade after accolade for decades. Peter looks back fondly at the early days of winemaking in a region that many thought was far from ideal for vineyards and wine production. How wrong they were. Peter, who was the winemaker at Hamilton Russell before starting his own label at Bouchard Finlayson, explains how it was necessary for himself and Tim Hamilton Russell to bend the rules just a little in order to produce Pinot Noir back then. We’d venture to say that a great part of the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay drinking world is rather glad that they did!
Peter went on to be named the Diner’s Club Winemaker of the Year in 1989 and Bouchard Finlayson planted their first Pinot Noir vineyards in 1990, producing their first vintage in 1991. After 40 years of winemaking Peter still likes to be involved in some small way by “making the finishing touches in putting the wines together” as he explains. The winemaking mantle has been handed over to Chris Albrecht who has been with Bouchard Finlayson since 2010. Chris began initially working as the assistant winemaker under Peter’s mentorship and in 2017 he had his first solo vintage. Today Chris continues to make internationally acclaimed wines and has entrenched himself as one of the prolific winemakers in this highly regarded wine region.
We recently tasted the 2019 Pinot Noir from Bouchard Finlayson as part of the Pinot Noir Celebration with all the producers that make up this year’s Celebration Box. In an upcoming video, Chris tells us all about the vintage and gives input and feedback on his and the other 7 producers in this Pinot Noir celebration box that you can order for yourself and a few friends to enjoy.
Keep following us to see the next video and spotlight on the next Pinot Noir Celebration producer…
Photo credit: Karen Winter
