GROWING SEASON

The 2019 growing season was one of two halves: a tumultuous spring brought very hot days but also extreme frosts and even deep snow on the vines in November. To our relief, the weather settled into a gentle, moist December and a hot dry summer lasting right through until the end of March. The crop was smaller than usual because of rain during flowering. Harvest of our Pinot Noir commenced April 11th yielding excellent ripeness and flavour. 

VINEYARD & WINERY PRACTICES

We believe wine should express where and when it is grown and made. We follow organic principles and then proceed further, nurturing the soil and indigenous microflora by making our own compost and planting native vegetation. Vine pruning, leaf pulling, straightening shoots, and harvesting are all done by hand. At least fourteen different areas of the vineyard are harvested and fermented individually in our winery that is adjacent to the vines. Small fermentations by native yeasts, worked by hand and exposed to ambient temperatures, articulate different facets of vineyard and vintage. Malolactic fermentation occurs naturally during the eleven months the wine is in barrel (primarily French oak, 22% new). We rack once in summer, use minimal sulfites, and do not fine or filter. 

TASTING NOTES

The tumultuous spring then calm late summer of 2019 melded with the classically challenging Central Otago terroir of Māori Point Vineyard to create a beautifully poised Pinot Noir, displaying layered fullness of flavour and soft silkiness on the palate. It is generous with ripe cherry, blackberry, raspberry, interwoven with cinnamon, chocolate, and dark herb notes. Supple tannins provide an ethereal, silky mouthfeel, supported by lacy, vigorous acidity, providing lightness to the palate. Match with game bird and pork chops over the next 5+ years.