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NZ-Wide
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Buy OnlineUnkel is a small organic vineyard & minimal intervention winery run by husband and wife duo Rob and Kate Burley, located in the picturesque growing region of Nelson/Tasman, New Zealand. Our wines are lovingly handcrafted in order to respect and portray a true sense of time & place.
“Unkel” (variation of the spelling of Uncle), is about working with Mother Nature in the Vineyard to produce the highest quality fruit that we can obtain from her. Once in the winery, rather than being that hands-on, overbearing parent or father figure, you can think of us more like that cruisy, fun, slightly wild Uncle in your life.
Winery notes (2021 Vintage)
"Bright plum, raspberry and rhubarb sing in unison with dried herbs and a hint of spice from a portion of whole-bunch fermentation. This follows onto the palate with a lovely combination of refreshing, mouthwatering salinity and a slightly more rustic, fine tannin.
Clone 114 – 100% Whole−bunch fermented for 3 days
Clone 115 – 50% Whole−bunch & 50% destemmed and fermented for 2 weeks
Clone 10/5 – Carbonic maceration for 5 days before stomping and leaving for another 5 days as a whole−bunch ferment
Clone 5 – Destemmed and on skins for 2 weeks
Individual parcels were then pressed to old french barriques for maturation.
Aged on fine lees for 10 months then racked and blended in stainless steel and aged for a further 6 months before bottling in October 2022. The final composition of this wine is 70% whole-bunch and 30% destemmed."
94/100 David Walker Bell, WineFolio.co.nz, July 2024 (2021 Vintage)
"A Pinot Noir from Nelson, using whole bunch and some carbonic maceration in the making. A translucently light but bright garnet red colour in the glass. A sous-bois, earth, spice and incense to the nose. Scented with cinnamon and star anise then plum, bramble, rhubarb and cherry. Showing a youthful energy and saline acidity to the medium-bodied palate. The tannin has a little rasp to it, supple and with some grip. Savoury elements of truffle, cigar box and black olive come next, deepening the mood, before a spicy and lengthy finish."
