Toi Toi Clutha Central Otago Pinot Noir 2018

Description

"Youthfully charming and inviting, the bouquet shows sweet cherry, raspberry, thyme, floral and almond characters. The palate is succulent and supple with lovely fruit intensity and vibrancy, beautifully supported by silky texture and polished tannins. Harmonious and flavoursome. At its best: now to 2022" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Mar 2019

This Pinot Noir is a beautiful dark garnet in the glass with rich plum and red berry fruit characters. Traditional winemaking techniques and maturation with French oak have created a soft, well balanced wine showing the vivid fruit and fine tannic structure typical of the Central Otago region. Delightfully elegant and made to be shared, this wine isready to drink now or can be cellared for 5 to 7 years.

The 2018 vintage will be remembered as one that broke all kinds of records. Firstly, it was one of the earliest bud bursts experienced by the winemaker with vines pushing in late September. Early season growth was nothing short of stratospheric, with the plants almost visibly growing up into the trellis at a rate never seen before. By mid-summer, Toi Toi  were looking down the barrel of both the hottest, driest & earliest grape growing season on record. Harvest began with hiss & a roar in early March, nearly a month before some seasons. A select de-stemmer harvester was used to softly handle the fruit. Once pressed off skins, the juice was then fermented at low temperatures in stainless steel tanks with selected yeast strains to preserve the inherently delicate fruit flavours. Following fermentation, the wine was aged on light yeast lees to increase palate weight and complexity before it was bottled for enjoyment.

Food Pairing: Roast chicken and Pinot Noir are a classic match — and for good reason. The typically fruit-forward, structured wine brings out the juiciness and succulence of the dish without overwhelming the savoury flavour or disappearing behind it.