Main Divide North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2021

Main Divide North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2021French oak Strawberry Vanilla & spice Polished tannins "It's seductively expressed on the nose with dark plum, cake spice, toasted nut, warm mushroom and dried flower aromas, followed by a silky smooth palate that's succulent and supple. Wonderfully styled and harmonious with a persistent delectable finish" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Dec 2023 "Very fresh with sliced strawberries, hazelnut, cappuccino, and biscuit character yet always subtle. Medium to full

• French oak
• Strawberry
• Vanilla & spice
• Polished tannins

"It's seductively expressed on the nose with dark plum, cake spice, toasted nut, warm mushroom and dried flower aromas, followed by a silky-smooth palate that's succulent and supple. Wonderfully styled and harmonious with a persistent delectable finish" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Dec 2023

"Very fresh with sliced strawberries, hazelnut, cappuccino, and biscuit character yet always subtle. Medium to full body, fine tannins and a nice acid background running through the wine" James Suckling, Jamessuckling.com, Mar 2021

"Immediately enticing bouquet of red fruits and spice, there’s a toasttiness from the use of oak with clove and vanilla highlights, aromas of plums and cherries, red fruit tea and black currant. Taut and dry with firmish textures from tannins and acidity and a core of red berry fruits and tea that mirror the bouquet. Delicious, fresh, youthful and ready to drink from 2023 through 2029. Excellent value" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Oct 2023

"Moderately deep ruby-red, lighter on the rim. The nose is softly full, with aromas of cherry and raspberry melded with black pepper, clove, vanilla and earthy underlay. Medium-full bodied, aromas of cherry black raspberry interweaved a hint of smoke, clove, black pepper, vanilla and earthy clay elements. Smoky and toasty oak elements enrich the sweet fruit; plush, ripe tannins elegantly frame the wine with structure and linger to a sustained finish. This toasty Pinot Noir shows elegant, sweet fruit, lively acidity and a fine, long finish" Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Reviews, Oct 2023

Upon release it has a bright ruby hue. The nose is soft and inviting, slowly unfurling with nuances of tamarillo, pomegranate and gogi berry, interlaced with touches of vanilla, woodsmoke, lavender and an earthy, savoury underlay. The palate is sweetly fruited and supple, with plush polished tannins and a ripe, spice driven mouthfeel. An ethereal and elegant wine, coupled with a rounded body and splash of refreshing acidity that provides harmony and length, flowing perfectly through to its long, rewarding finish.

Cold weather during bud burst resulted in lower crop levels, hence no further fruit thinning was carried out. The subsequent warm dry summer served up perfectly ripened small berries full of intense flavour and concentration. Favourable conditions continued into autumn, allowing the fruit to be picked at its optimum ripeness.

Traditional Burgundian winemaking methods were used to make this wine. We picked the various blocks at different stages, depending on their maturity, aiming for a range of red and dark fruit flavours. Approximately 40% of the grapes were put at the bottom of the fermentation vats as whole bunches, with the balance being destemmed on top, retaining as many whole berries as possible. The vats were kept cool over the next few days to help extract the soft, silky tannins from the pinot noir skins. After approximately a week, the must started to ferment naturally. During fermentation the skins of the grapes were gently plunged twice daily. When the fermentation finished, the grape remnants were left to steep in the wine for up to a week to help extract a different range of tannins that add structure and depth. The exact duration of this period was determined by daily tasting. Subsequently the wine was gently pressed off and put into oak barriques (approx. 20% new), from selected artisan Burgundian coopers. In the summer after harvest, when the weather warmed, the wine underwent a natural malo-lactic (secondary) fermentation. After maturing for 18 months in these barriques, the wine was finally bottled.