"Scented Pinot Noir with rich dark-fleshed plums, black cherry and smoky oak flavours. A succulent wine with a good backbone of drying tannins that help a lengthy finish. Good now, better with a little bottle-age" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review

"Offering fine value. the deeply coloured 2015 vintage was grown on two sites in the Waihopai Valley and matured for ten months in French oak barriques (25% new). Mouthfilling, it is youthful and fruit-packed, with ripe cherry, plum and spice flavours, showing excellent concentration, texture and complexity. Best drinking mid 2018+" Michael Cooper

This is a beautifully floral and scented wine displaying cherry, raspberry and subtle sweet, smoky oak aromas on the nose. The palate is rich, silky, round and concentrated with great poise and focus. The red berry fruits combined with the French oak has produced lovely length and complexity.

The grapes were harvested into open top fermenters, where they underwent a cold maceration before the fermentation kicked off spontaneously. Because of the small size of the berries the hand-plunging was limited to twice per day through the ferment. The vats were left with the skins in for between seven and twenty days post fermentation, before pressing to a mixture of French oak barriques and puncheons (25% new). After ten months maceration a selection of best clones and barrels were chosen for this wine.

The grapes for this wine were all grown in the Waihopai Valley, from the company vineyard and the neighbouring Barnsley vineyard that are planted with a mixture of clones 5,115, 667, 777. The soils are made up of clay and silt loam layered over alluvial gravels. The 2015 vintage was characterised by small berries with deep colour and intense flavours, the wonderful weather allowed the winemakers to pick this Pinot Noir as and when they wanted.

Food Pairing: New Zealand roast lamb or duck, wonderful with oven roasted veg with garlic and herbs.