Description
Region: Bendigo Hills, Central Otago, New Zealand.
Winemaking: The fruit was hand harvested from the upper slopes of the vineyard, with an elevation between 380 and 420 metres. The aspect is North, Northwest. The fruit was de stemmed into French Oak cuves for natural fermentation with gentle hand plunging. Post ferment maceration was 20 days. It was then racked off into a mixture of seasoned and new (40%) French Oak, and a mixture of puncheons and barriques, where it underwent malolactic fermentation and was left to mature for about 17 months. It was then racked off lees and bottled, without filtering or fining. Clones: 70% 115, 20% Abel, 10% 777.
Tasting Notes: This is quite a powerful wine, it has dark plums, boysenberry, and spice aromas on the nose while the palate has a fine structure of chalky tannins, ripe concentrated fruit with linear movement. Layers of complexity evolve in the mouth and the wine tails off nicely with a long finish.
Technical: Alcohol - 13.9%. TA - 5.6g/l. pH - 3.69g/l. RS - Dry. Contains sulphites. BioGro certified organic.
Winemaker: Allan McWilliams.
Accolades:
"A dense, ripe Pinot Cranberry, black cherry, plum, violet and a suggestion of wild thyme character. Firmly structured wine with intensity and character. I’d certainly like to see this wine in another five years. From Bendigo, one of Central Otago’s hottest sub-regions." - Bob Campbell MW, 93/100 points
"A lush and very giving bouquet of warm light red fruits - sweet dark cherry, brown spices and intoxicating oak; On the palate - dry with textures of an unfiltered wine, medium+ acidity, bold youthful tannins with course velvet edges and lots of plush and flavorful fruits - really very tasty and moreish; Balanced with medium length and medium complexity - lots of folks are going to like this wine." - Cameron Douglas MS, 4.7/5 stars
"An outstanding pinot, the engaging bouquet shows dark cherry, plum, floral and cedar characters with a hint of earthy mushroom. It's concentrated and powerful on the palate with superb mid palate weight and velvety texture, perfectly supported by plenty of polished tannins. It's supple and flavoursome while remaining firmly structured for graceful development." - Sam Kim, 5/5 stars
"The authoritative, very generous 2012 vintage (5*) is a single-vineyard red, grown at Bendigo, in Central Otago, and matured in French oak casks (40 per cent new). Deeply coloured, it is instantly attractive, with layers of ripe cherry, plum, spice and nut flavours, fine-grained tannins, and a long future ahead. Certified organic. The 2010 (4.5*) is also impressive – densely coloured, fleshy and bold, with deep cherry/plum flavours, hints of spices and nuts, and a finely poised finish." - Michael Cooper, 5/5 stars