Typical black cherry perfume on the nose, with lively yet supple fruit on the palate supported by fine grained tannins.

Vinification

A mixture of machine harvested and hand-picked fruit was de-stemmed, but not crushed, and tipped into 4 tonne open-top fermenters. Open tops are used to reduce the amount of alcohol in the resulting wines, which in turn helps to give the sort of balance we are seeking. After a 5 day cold-soak to stabilise the colour, fermentation takes place at temperatures of up to 34°C, with frequent gentle (but physically demanding!) hand-plunging. Most of the tanks are pressed at dryness, however around 20% of the tanks are left on skins for another week before pressing to stabilise the colour and to improve the structure. After settling to remove solids, the wine is racked to French oak barrels (40%) and stainless steel tanks for malolactic fermentation and ageing on light yeast lees. The wine is then blended and bottled after eleven months of ageing.

Tasting Note

Typical black cherry perfume on the nose, with lively yet supple fruit on the palate supported by fine grained tannins.

October 2006 Gold Medal
New Zealand International Wine Competition

November 2006 Trophy - Best Pinot Noir
New Zealand International Wine Competition

November 2006 Blue/Gold Medal
Sydney International Top100 Wines

November 2006
Gold Medal
Air New Zealand Wine Awards

Trophy - New Zealand’s best Pinot Noir
Air New Zealand Wine Awards

Champion Wine of the Show
Air New Zealand Wine Awards