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NZ-Wide
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Buy OnlineWinery notes (2021 Vintage)
"Fragrant aromas of red cherry, crushed berries and orange zest with underlying notes of sous bois. An element of whole bunch ferment can be seen in the attractive floral, herbal lift of this young wine. On the front palate, cranberry and cherry fruit flavours unfold with a degree of natural sweetness and progress to a savoury, mineral-driven and finely structured finish. Vibrant and elegant in style this wine unfurls with a little time open.
Grown in our organically certified vineyards located on an elevated inland terrace of the Waimea Plains beneath the foothills of the Richmond Ranges. Tasman Bay to the north provides a cooling sea breeze over the warmest months of summer. This ancient alluvial terrace of clay-rich loam and river stones over deep, free draining gravels is well suited to the growing of fragrant, elegantly structured Pinot Noir.
Multiple clones (777,667,115,UCD5, AM10/5, Abel) harvested 12-15 March, 2021 Maceration of 2-3 days pre-fermentation with total time on skins ranging 7-20 days Small batch fermented with gentle hand plunging at peak of fermentation only Pressed, settled briefly and run to French oak barriques and puncheons (11% new) for maturation. Natural spring malolactic completed in barrel. Blended late February 2022 and held on light lees in tank for a further period before bottling in October without fining or filtration. Final blend included 40% whole bunch ferment."
Rated Outstanding & 95/100 Cameron Douglas MS, April 2024 (2021 Vintage)
"A beautiful vibrant bouquet, varietal and intense, layered with scents of soil and ripeness, of dark cherries, fruit and barrel spices, complexity and power. Fantastic on the palate, a wine of texture and mouthfeel, velvet tannins and core flavours of red berries, plum and baking spices, preserved flowers and the gentle sweetness of toasty oak. As the wine opens out in glass the complexities and synergies build. Drinkable today with best drinking from 2026 through 2036+."
Reviews for previous vintages below…
5 Stars Michael Cooper (2019 Vintage)
"One of Nelson's greatest reds, at its best powerful, rich and long-lived. It is estate-grown and hand-picked on an elevated terrace of the south-eastern Waimea Plains, where the vines, planted in gravelly loam clays, have an average age of over 20 years. Yields are very low – 4 to 5 tonnes of grapes per hectare – and the wine is matured for about a year in French oak barriques (typically 10-20 per cent new). Certified organic, the very classy 2019 vintage was bottled unfined and unfiltered. Deep, bright ruby, it is a standout wine, full-bodied and finely structured, with rich cherry, red berry and spice flavours, notably complex and savoury, and a very harmonious finish. A 'complete' wine, it's already delicious, but should offer top drinking for several more years."
