Mt Difficulty Templars Hill Central Otago Pinot Noir 2024

Description

Oak, Plum, Spice

“Aromatic with notes of plum, blackberry and mulberry fruit. Rich, silky and fine on the palate. Dark berries and red cherry mix with a touch of spice from the oak, and fine, flowing tannins. A textured & full wine with a long, silky tannin finish" Greg Lane, Winemaker

Bright red cherry, plum, and strawberry aromas lead into a juicy palate of red berries, complemented by hints of darker black plum. Subtle brown spice and toasty oak add warmth through the mid palate, finishing long and fruit-driven with smooth, silky tannins.

The grapes for this wine come from our Cromwell basin vineyards managed by our dedicated viticultural team.

The 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. A small proportion was retained as whole cluster, with the aim of building texture and structure. 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. When the wine tasted in harmony 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.