The Soloist takes centre stage bathed in a very becoming hue of pink and always sees the world through rosé-tinted glasses. She’s destined to be in the spotlight and surrounded by adoring fans.
2020 Vintage
Vibrant aromas of watermelon and strawberry with hints of rosemary and walnut lead to a gentle dry palate that has a lingering sweet red liquorice finish.” Olly Masters (Winemaker
Vintage Notes
The season started with relatively cold and dry conditions. In November, the unrelenting spring winds started and continued through December, presenting challenges in the vineyard and impacting the fruit set. February was slightly warmer than normal, but the heat was short-lived as March was the coldest on record. Our harvest commenced on 4th of April and was carried out during the Covid-19 lockdown, so this was also challenging. Although 2020 is regarded as an excellent vintage across New Zealand, Central Otago recorded the coolest ever season. With Growing Degree Days (GDDs) at just 852, we were thankful of lower yields so we could ripen the fruit. The lower yields have translated to excellent flavour intensity, colour and tannin. The fruit was hand-picked at 3.5-4.6 tonnes per hectare.
Food Match
This style of Rosé is an ideal aperitif wine but also works well with antipasto, salads, light pasta dishes as well as raw or lightly cooked seafood. It matches a range of white meats and is the perfect partner for summer parties and BBQs.
Details
| Region | Central Otago, New Zealand | Vineyard | Estate-grown, single vineyard |
| Sub-region | Bendigo – Single Vineyard | Variety/ Clones | UCD6 |
| Planting | 2005/07, Altitude: 210 – 245m | Harvested | 6 April 2020 |
| Harvest Analysis | Brix: 24.9 / pH: 3.61 / TA: 8.0 g/l | Bottled | 18 August 2020 (Stelvin closure) |
| Wine Analysis | Alc:13.5% / pH: 3.52 / TA: 6.4 g/l | Cellaring | 1-3+ years |
| Residual Sugar | 5.5 g/l | Style | Off-Dry |
Winemaking
The Pinot Noir (100% Clone 6) fruit was all destemmed and crushed into picking bins for soaking to extract colour and flavour from the skins. The juice was left in contact with the skins for an average of 32 hours (35% spent just under 2 days on skins and the balance 24 hours.) The fruit was then pressed and the juice cold-settled to clarify. The subsequent juice has the vibrant colour from the Pinot Noir skins, but not the tannins that would be extracted if the ferment was carried out on the skins like a red wine. The clear juice is all fermented in stainless
steel, at low temperatures (15ºC), to retain aromatics and provide a freshness to the wine. The resulting Rosé is off-dry in style, with plenty of varietal character and fruit purity.
