Blind River Marlborough Pinot Noir 2019

Description

• French oak
• Cherry & raspberry
• Smoky vanilla
• Fine tannins

Cherry and raspberry aromas combine with smoky vanilla oak notes. This is a medium weight wine, with lovely depth, fine tannins and a gentle but flavoursome finish. This wine has a minerality and elegance that really speak of this special site.

This is from their Blind River vineyard in the Awatere valley. It is a 1.9ha block that runs with the contours of the land. It is a cool site that requires careful attention to produce even, ripe fruit. This means cropping at a low level and maintaining an open canopy. This attention to detail produces excellent wine.

The grapes were handpicked in the early morning and rush to the winery about 30 minutes away. They were gently destemmed into a small, open-top fermenter for a six-day cold soak to help extract colour and primary fruit characters. The tank was then inoculated and allowed to warm to 30C for fermentation. It was hand plunged three times per day to keep the cap submerged for more colour and flavour. After seven days maceration after fermentation, the wine was gently pressed into French oak (25% new) for ten months maturation.

Food pairing: Lamb, venison, duck, pheasant, pork belly, turkey, seared tuna, hot ham, boeuf bourguignon, Coq au Vin, rare beef, dishes with rosemary and other strong herbs, mushrooms, cassoulet, beetroot, seared spiced salmon.