Church Road McDonald Series Central Otago Pinot Noir 2023

Description

Blackberry, Floral, Oak

Beautifully fragrant, this wine is built around a core of bright red and black fruit, overlaid with beautiful floral, spice and fresh thyme notes, with subtle oak in support. On the palate the wine is lithe, fresh and juicy with a gentle finish. An elegant yet energetic Pinot Noir.

The pursuit of a great Pinot Noir to add to the Church Road stables has taken us outside of our Hawke’s Bay home to the beautiful region of Central Otago. Here, a combination of exceptional soils, cool nights, warm days and low rainfall make for one of the greatest Pinot Noir regions in the world.

18% fermented separately as whole bunches, this was lightly foot stomped to liberate some juice to allow a wild fermentation to ensue. The balance was destemmed and wild fermented. The whole bunch component brings a floral and spice component to the berry fruit / cherry notes of the destemmed fruit, along with a more linear palate profile, bringing length and definition. After a short post ferment maceration, the fruit was drained and pressed and filled to French oak (22% new) for malolactic fermentation and 12 months maturation on lees. The wine was bottled unfined and only coarsely filtered.