TERRA SANCTA SPECIAL RELEASE THE ITALIAN

Three Italian grape varieties, from four vintages, all grown on Felton Road in Central Otago… now that's something different! This is the third release of this wine that speaks of Central Otago but with a distinct Italian accent. Impressive in every way from the beautiful fruit, juicy texture to the bottle it comes in. A special release indeed.

Winery notes (Multi Vintage – 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021)
"Ruby in colour, the nose is dense and intriguing with violets, red cherry, licorice, black currants and spice. Lively acidity gives the palate energy, with rich velvety tannins combining seamlessly with a core of, raspberry, plum, vibrant dark berries, bitter cherry, and an undercurrent of earthiness. An engaging, spirited wine that shows both energy and harmony, reflecting the four vintages from which it is blended. Clean and poised, it is wisdom and exuberance in a glass.

Made in barrel – primarily neutral oak, as the fruit itself provides lovely tannin. Experiments with oak have led us to a mix of 90% French and 10% Virginian oak. Made with a wild ferment, with no additives other than minimal sulphur at bottling, the key to this wine has been in the fastidious rare-for-New Zealand, multi-vintage approach to blending, creating a wine of real substance, complexity and quality.

With only a small amount planted and noticing different points of interest and strength from vintage to vintage, we decided to forgo convention, and make a multi-vintage wine, that brought together the best characters of each varietal, from each vintage. Carefully crafted from six vintages our goal is to create the most complete wine. Some wine from each vintage has been held back to support our intention to deliver a consistently delicious multi-vintage wine at every release."

Reviews for the first release below…

5 Stars & 95/100 Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review, August 2019
"A truly blended wine with Italian grape varieties dolcetto, lagrein and barbera from the 2016, 2017 and 2018 vintages. Aromatic with a lifted, smoky nose and a mix of fruit, floral and savoury herb flavours that are best described as "vinous" rather than "fruity"."