Mt Difficulty Roaring Meg Central Otago Pinot Noir 2022

Description

• French oak
• Dark berries
• Subtle spice
• Fine tannins

Red, blue and black berry fruit aromatics typical of a warmer vintage. The palate is harmonious with rich dark berries and a savoury line underneath. A hint of spice and dried thyme complement the succulent fruit. Fine tannins frame the wine with a great flow and finish.

The grapes for this wine come from our Cromwell basin vineyards managed by our dedicated viticultural team. The addition of fruit from our Bendigo vineyard has lent a powerful, darker edge to this vintage.

The 2022 season swung the pendulum again for Central Otago. This season was characterised by a very warm summer, punctuated by vital rain events, culminating in a bumper crop that was harvested 1-2 weeks ahead of long term average. The benign, warm flowering conditions in December resulted in excellent fruit set and healthy canopies that galloped through a dry January. They were replenished by rain in February before harvest began in mid-March and was wrapped up by mid-April.

The majority of the fruit was destemmed to enhance the natural fruit characters of Pinot Noir from the Cromwell Basin. The grapes stayed in the fermenter on average for a total of 25 days, with temperatures peaking at 28 - 30°C. The wine was plunged once daily both during pre-fermentation and during fermentation. Post-fermentation the wine was left to extract with no further punch downs. Once tannins were balanced it was pressed off to French oak where it resided on lees for 10 months. It underwent malolactic fermentation during early spring, was racked out of barrel in early-summer with filtration, but no fining, prior to bottling.