Quartz Reef Single Vineyard Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019

Description

• French oak
• Black Doris plum
• Subtle spice
• Classy tannins

"Intense and expressive pinot noir with plum, dark cherry, spice, thyme and anise, plus subtle spicy oak. A very impressive wine from a very good vintage. Power that’s delivered with considerable finesse" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Jan 2021

"A pungent, complex wine aromatically with an array of characteristics... dark berry compote, pot pourri, botanicals, and a savoury, almost vegemite note. A bold yet charming wine on the palate with plenty of flesh, and fruit weight, dark chocolate, and berry flavours, zesty acidity, and sappy, lively tannins. Moreish" NZ Wine Rater, Sep 2021

Aromas of deep black doris plum, and dark cherry. Rich on the palate with blackcurrant, plum, forest floor notes and subtle spice. An elegant wine with classy tannins and a long vibrant finish.

This wine is from their BioGro certified organic and Demeter certified biodynamic estate vineyard located in the Bendigo sub-region of Central Otago. The vineyard was planted in 1998 after careful site selection. The soils on the beautiful north facing slope are Waenga fine sandy loam and Letts steepland with an elevation of 217 – 264 metres, on 44.55° south. Clones: 10/5, 5, 115, 667, 777 & Abel.

The season started with mild temperatures throughout Spring, an earlier than usual budburst and rainfall in late Nov/early Dec providing good levels of moisture. They were challenged with two severe cold fronts during budburst and flowering which despite frost fighting efforts resulted in a smaller crop. Warm and settled weather followed producing overall a hotter than usual growing season. With veraison starting in the last week of January, they began (to expect) yet another early harvest. The 2019 vintage impression is extremely good quality.

Hand-picked on the 28th March, 4th and 8th April. Each clone was small batch vinified with a small percentage of whole cluster per ferment. Cold Soaked for up to 7 days before indigenous yeast fermentation kicked in. Gentle plunging each day, followed by post maceration of up to 9 days to ensure optimum fruit and tannin balance. Total time on skin; 19-24 days. Drained directly into selected French oak barriques (33% new) where the wine aged for 12 months during which wild malolactic fermentation occurs. The winemaking was very much in keeping with the traditional practices of the Old World. The winemaker, Rudi Bauer, has combined these techniques, and his own personal understanding, to create this wine.