Mt Difficulty Bannockburn Pinot Noir 2024

Description

Cherry, Oak, Spice

Deep red and black cherry fruit leads with alluring dark notes, accented by subtle lavender, wild thyme, cardamom, and anise. Succulent and juicy, the wine opens with lapin cherry and doris plum, flowing into a full, fleshy mid-palate framed by spicy, sweet French oak. Silken tannins provide graceful structure, carrying the wine to a long, elegant finish. Best after two years. It will age gracefully for a further 12 years given optimal cellaring conditions.

Grapes for Bannockburn Pinot Noir come exclusively from estate and winery managed vineyards situated on the south side of the Kawarau River. While subject to the seasonal and diurnal temperature extremes of Central Otago, each vineyard has a specific terroir and a variety.

The 2024 vintage in Central Otago was warm and dry under an El Niño pattern. Ideal flowering and strong winds kept disease low. Despite drought-like soil moisture, vines stayed healthy, producing small, concentrated berries with balanced acidity. Harvest began early on March 14 and finished by Anzac Day after cooler late-March conditions slowed ripening for good hang time.

Harvested early from March 14 to April 24, our hand-picked Pinot Noir saw 75% destemming and 15–30% whole clusters. After six days cold soak, fermentation with indigenous yeasts lasted about eight days at up to 30°C. The wine stayed on skins 7–9 days post-ferment, then aged 12 months on lees in barrel. Malolactic fermentation occurred in spring, with bottling in July 2025.