Mt Difficulty is certainly one of the best known names of Central Otago Pinot Noir and for very good reason, their wines have been excellent right from the very early days. And this gorgeous Pinot from the excellent 2021 vintage again shows exactly why they have such an enviable reputation. A wonderfully fragrant nose of dark fruits, wild herbs with underlying gentle floral notes, a concentrated palate and silken tannins make for an absolute classic.
Winery notes (2021 Vintage)
"A lovely, bold expression of Bannockburn Pinot that opens with dark cherries and warm spice. Distinct notes of dried herb and cedar lead to dark cherry and bramble berry fruit. Blackberry, plum and raspberry flood the palate with a fine web of tannin that supports the concentrated fruit core of the wine. A long, structural finish with spice notes.
Grapes for Bannockburn Pinot Noir come exclusively from estate and winery managed vineyards situated on the south side of the Kawarau River. While subject to the seasonal and diurnal temperature extremes of Central Otago, each vineyard has a specific terroir and a variety of low fertility soil types: light sands, clays, loams and gravels. The majority of grapes come from earlier plantings which are predominantly clones 5, 6 and 10/5, while more recent plantings are a mix of Dijon clones 113, 115, 667 and 777.
We started harvesting our Pinot Noir on the 24th March and continued through until the 29th April, a classic ripening window for Bannockburn Pinot Noir. Where possible, we tried to co-ferment different clonal lots from the same vineyard, while vineyards are kept separate. Around three quarters of our ferments were de-stemmed only; the remaining quarter contained 15-40% whole clusters. The must underwent 6 days of cold maceration, being partially hand plunged once daily. The ferments were heated after this and all fermented with indigenous yeasts. The ferments lasted for an average of 8 days during which time they were hand plunged once or twice daily with the temperature peaking at 30°C. The wine stayed on skins for a further 7-9 days post-dryness, and were plunged only occasionally. When the wine tasted in harmony it was pressed off to barrel where it resided on full lees for 12 months. It underwent malolactic fermentation in the spring, was racked out of barrel in late autumn and filtered, but not fined, prior to bottling. This wine is vegan friendly."
Reviews for previous vintages below…
93/100 Mike Bennie, The Wine Front, December 2022 (2020 Vintage)
"Dense and dark, ripe fruited, doused with warm, clove and cinnamon spice. IN all that, larger proportions but well judged, brooding, chunky, dry and firm to finish, and up to that a wine of slurpy, dense but elevated pinot. It delivers a true to form expression of Central Otago pinots, in that heftier but well balanced sense."
5 Stars Michael Cooper (2019 Vintage)
"This is one of the region's highest-profile reds. Matured for a year in French oak casks (25 per cent new), the 2019 vintage (5*) is very ageworthy. Full, bright ruby, it is mouthfilling, with good concentration of ripe cherry, plum and spice flavours, and nutty, savoury notes adding complexity. Best drinking 2023+."