Amisfield Central Otago Pinot Noir 2021

Description

• French oak
• Plum & raspberry
• Florals & herbs
• Lingering finish

"Concentrated wine with ripe cherry, plum and raspberry flavours together with nuances of floral and fresh herb flavours supported by moderately assertive tannins. Accessible now and with the potential for bottle development" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Jun 2023

Concentrated notes of black doris plum, star anise and spice combine with classic Central Otago dark fruits. Framed beautifuly by an earthy savouriness and mineral edged acidity, this wine is complemented with fine oak and fruit tannin. Great concentration, complex flavour structure with a long lingering finish.

Grown across the Estate with vines planted in the Waenga silty loam soils of our lower terraces and the more gravelly Lochar sandy loams of the blocks beside the winery. Certified Organic since 2021.

Mild winter conditions resulted in early budburst and strong early season growth. A warm spring with a distinct lack of wind allowed for strong canopy growth and Pisa avoided the frosts that hit other areas. Flowering began in early December along with winds thats disrupted some of the whites flowering. January began with a heavy rain event and the ensuing humid conditions resulted in some powdery mildew appearing. Fine weather through the remainder of the growing season allowed for beautiful ripening and whilst the crop was lower than usual, the quality of the fruit was excellent. Judicious hand harvesting and sorting, resulted in very high quality fruit entering the winery.

Hand-harvested fruit was cold-soaked for four to five days before natural fermentation began. Gentle, selective timing of hand-plunging and pump overs during fermentation helped to extract the delicate skin and seed tannins. Approximately 10% whole-bunch clusters were included in some of the ferments. After fermentation we tasted the wines daily to assess the tannin development prior to transfer to barrel where maturation took place for 15 months in French oak.