Our Pinot Noir is the jewel in the crown – the focal point in our repertoire of wines ‘The High Note’ was inspired by Misha’s opera-singing mother and her early life spent in the theatre.
2016 Vintage
“With aromas of violets, rose petals, plums and red fruits, this medium-dark red coloured Pinot Noir has a gentle elegant palate with a sweet and lingering raspberry fruit finish.” Olly Masters (Winemaker)
Vintage Notes
With the El Niño weather pattern it was predicted that we’d have very strong winds during the growing season – we weren’t disappointed! Along with unrelenting winds for most of spring and summer, Central Otago also experienced a very dry season. Despite these conditions, harvest occurred at a similar time to normal, reflecting the ripening time required for a slightly heavier crop. Some of the usual measures of ripeness were quite different this year: lower brix (sugar) levels; lower acid levels reflecting the warm season; and our malic acid levels were also some of the lowest we’ve seen. Overall, the vintage has resulted in some beautifully fruit-expressive wines. The fruit was hand-picked at between 5.0-7.4 tonnes per hectare and Growing Degree Days (GDDs) were 1245.
Food Match
This Pinot Noir is very versatile and great with lamb, venison and veal, and a large range of vegetable dishes especially mushrooms. It is also the perfect accompaniment to game birds such as quail, pheasant, turkey and duck.
Details
| Region | Central Otago, New Zealand | Vineyard | Estate-grown, single vineyard |
| Sub-region | Bendigo | Variety/ Clones | UCD5 (40%), 777 (28%), 667 (21%), Abel (11%) |
| Planting | 2004/05, Altitude: 210 – 350m | Harvested | 14 – 27 April 2016 |
| Harvest Analysis | Brix: 24.3-25.4 / pH: 3.11-3.38 / TA: 7.2-9.3 g/l | Bottled | 9 November 2017 (Stelvin closure) |
| Wine Analysis | Alc: 14% / pH: 3.63 / TA: 5.5 g/l | Cellaring | 2 – 8+ yrs |
Winemaking
The fruit was chilled overnight before crushing (25% whole bunch) the next day typically as 2 and 4 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 32°C. The wine was then held warm (15-20°C) post ferment to allow ongoing tannin integration. After an average of 24 days on skins the wines were then pressed to tank where they were settled for 1–2 days before being racked into French oak hogsheads (33% new, 300 litre barrels). The wine was inoculated for malolactic fermentation which took place in the following spring, racked out of barrels prior to the 2017 vintage then returned to tank and barrels. It was filtered prior to bottling in November 2017.
