• French oak
• Dark plum & blueberry
• Toasted baking spices
• Lingering finish

"Attractive, fruit-focused pinot noir with floral, violet, dark cherry, berry and spicy oak flavours. A deliciously accessible wine, with a supple core of juicy fruit flavours balanced by fine, sweet tannins. Very appealing" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Jan 2022

"Focused, concentrated, varietal and fruity with aromas and flavours dried raspberry and dark cherry, toasty barrel spices, a touch of bacon and smoke. Ripe, firm youthful tannins and acid line to match, chalk and velvet mouthfeel, youthful, vibrant and lengthy. Best drinking from mid to late 2022 through 2028+" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Sep 2021

Upon opening you are immediately greeted by a powerful nose of dark plum, blueberry conserve and cola, complimented by a background of toasted brown baking spices and oak char. The palate is a juxtaposition of vibrant red berry fruits and finely structured tannins building towards a generously velvety core of cherry and spice balanced by precise seam of acidity that draws the palate out to a long lingering finish. With careful cellaring this wine will age gracefully for 10+ years.

The 2020 vintage in Central Otago was a challenge in many respects, not only weather and yield wise but also with the arrival of the Covid19 Pandemic and a nationwide lockdown on the eve of harvest. Despite the challenges thrown at us, we consider ourselves extremely fortunate to have been able to pick a small but tremendously flavourful crop from our own vineyard and those of our dedicated growers throughout the Central Otago region.

100% hand-picked and predominantly destemmed into small open fermenters with the retention of a high proportion of whole berries. Select fermenters received up to 66% whole bunch, with the finished blend consisting of 8% whole bunch. Spontaneous natural fermentation and 28 – 32 days on skins with a gentle twice daily plunge at the peak of ferment before pressing and transfer to 225L French Oak barrels (25% new) where it underwent Malo-Lactic fermentation and maturation for 13 months. Bottled with minimal fining and filtration.

Food Pairing: Pan seared hare fillet, simply prepared with olive oil, sea salt and coursely ground black pepper.