With an aromatic blend of red fruits, spice and wild thyme this Pinot Noir has a fresh sweet-fruited palate balanced by fine oak spice tannins and an elegant finish

Misha’s Vineyard is located on a spectacular site in New Zealand on the edge of Lake Dunstan in the Bendigo sub-region of Central Otago. The sun drenched north-west facing terraces of the 57 hectare estate provide optimal conditions for producing world-class Pinot Noir and aromatic white varieties. The winemakers ‘no compromise’ philosophy requires exacting viticulture regimes, hand-picking, and considerate winemaking methodologies.

The 2017 season in Central Otago, was one of the coolest on record. Despite a warm start to the season in September, the rest of spring was cool and it stayed that way throughout summer. There was also more rain than usual in the first half of the season. And the winds normally experienced in spring were unrelenting and continued through the Summer. However, autumn had nearly perfect conditions and that helped with ripening. The  fruit was harvested in very good condition with smaller berries and bunches and whilst it is good for quality, it meant yields were substantially down on averages. The Growing Degree Days (GDDs) were 960 (with next lowest in 2009 at 1010). This Pinot Noir was hand-picked at between 1.5-5 tonnes per hectare.

The fruit was chilled overnight before destemming the next day, typically as 4 tonne lots in open top fermenters, with a proportion of whole bunches (40%) retained. The crushed fruit was allowed to warm slowly for 5-7 days as the natural yeast ferment began to take place. Ferments were hand plunged 2-3 times per day. Cooling was used to ensure the ferments peaked below 32°C. The wine was then held warm (>20°C) post ferment to allow ongoing tannin integration. After an average of 25 days on skins the wines were then pressed to tank where they were settled for 1–2 days before being racked into 300 litre French oak barrels. The wine was inoculated for malolactic fermentation in spring and the final wine selection made by identifying ferments and barrels from all the wines post malolactic fermentation. Aiming to produce an earlier maturing style, the final selection received 8% new oak. The wine was racked once to tank prior to the 2018 vintage and filtered.

Opening a bottle of great Pinot Noir should be an unplanned thing – a spur of the moment decision prompted by occasion or desire. This Impromptu Pinot Noir is crafted to be enjoyed now, tomorrow or anytime the need arises!

Food Pairing: Pinot Noir is an extremely versatile food wine as it can pair well with either white or red meats, creamy sauces, and spicy seasonings. It’s also a wonderful match with sword fish or roast salmon. The classic Pinot Noir matches are with game birds, roasted red meats, mushrooms as well as mild and creamy cheese.