An Italian word meaning realism and truth, Verismo also describes the ‘golden age’ of opera in the late 1800s. Verismo operas are based on simple stories but ones characterized by great passion and heightened emotions.
2019 Vintage
“Bright ruby red with seductive aromas of dark cherry, chocolate and floral notes which are carried through to the palate by fine flowing tannins with a finish that is long and satisfying..” Olly Masters (Winemaker)
2019 Vintage Notes
The 2019 season was a typical Central Otago season in terms of heat but what was unusual was the high rainfall and a lack of the north-west spring winds. The heavier spring rains encouraged vigorous canopy development requiring vigilance to ensure short interval spray programs were maintained to prevent any disease. Conditions for flowering and fruit set were ideal for Misha’s Vineyard with a mild autumn with perfect weather to enable ripening. However, it was a very mixed season across the region with vineyards impacted by severe frosts early and late in the season. This was certainly a year to be thankful for steep slopes and a frost-drained vineyard site. Growing Degree Days (GDDs) were 1149 with the fruit for this wine hand-picked at 5.0-5.5 tonnes per hectare.
Food Match
Pinot Noir is the ultimate food wine as it’s perfect with most meats but especially lamb, venison and veal. Some of the classic Pinot Noir matches are with game birds such as quail, pheasant, turkey and duck. It can accompany a wide range of vegetable dishes, autumnal fruits as well as mild or creamy cheeses.
Details
| Region | Central Otago, New Zealand | Vineyard | Estate-grown, single vineyard |
| Variety/ Clones | UCD5 (50%), 777 (19%) Abel(21%) & 115(10%) | ||
| Planting | 2004/2005, Altitude: 210 – 350m | Harvested | 11-30 April 2019 |
| Harvest Analysis | Brix: 23.0-23.8 / pH: 3.41-3.52 / TA: 6.0-8.6 g/l | Bottled | 4 February 2020 (Stelvin closure) |
| Wine Analysis | Alc: 13.5% / pH: 3.68 / TA: 5.6 g/l | Cellaring | 10+ yrs |
Winemaking
The fruit was chilled overnight before crushing (8% whole bunch retained) the next day, typically as 1.5 tonne lots. The crushed fruit was then cold soaked for 5-7 days after which it was allowed to warm as the natural yeast ferment took place. Cooling was used to ensure the ferments peaked below 32ºC. The wine was then held warm (typically 15-20º C) post ferment to allow ongoing tannin integration. After an average of 28 days on skins the wines were then pressed to tank where they were settled for 1–2 days before being racked into 300 litre French oak barrels. The wine was inoculated for malolactic fermentation in spring. For Verismo, individual
barrels are selected (post malolactic fermentation) from these superior ferments originating from specific vineyard blocks, the new oak level is 30% with this vintage. The wine was then racked and filtered prior to bottling in February 2020.
