MAgnums

Every year we bottle approximately 100 magnums of the current Pinot Noir.

These are then carefully and gently stored in our cellar only to be released when the layers have intergrated, the nose is heady and they are becoming their most rewarding.

These precious gems are enjoyable now but are also able to be cellared for another few years for further rewards.

Our current release is:

PINOT NOIR 2005

THE SEASON:

Following the cold winter it was nice to have a settled spring in which good budburst and even shoot growth occurred. Low crop levels across most varieties and vineyards followed cool spells during f lowering. A wonderful summer followed, with the weather from the first week of January right through to mid March being idyllic: warm, settled and dry. A deluge of rain just before harvest resulted in our crops being reduced by up to half in some blocks with lots of our

lovely small berries splitting under the pressure. The result of the small crops remaining to maturity was the reward of concentration, great structure and flavour.

VINEYARD:

Our Pinot Noir blocks are hand harvested from vines ageing up to 26 years – some of New Zealand’s oldest Pinot Noir vines. A range of 10 clones including Abel, 10/5 and the Dijon clones are planted and give complexity to the final blend. The vineyards are situated on the Martinborough Terrace which is famed for its deep, free-draining, ancient river bed soils which are ideal for making ultra premium Pinot Noir. The region has a cool, maritime climate along with other beneficial climatic drivers including a rain shadow, one of the country’s largest diurnal temperature differentials, windy springs and a long warm

period through autumn. All this results in a natural low-vigour site regulating crops and enabling high quality, consistent, clean ripe fruit.

VINIFICATION:

All fruit is carefully sorted in the vineyard at harvest and again in the winery before being processed. The wine underwent a cool pre-ferment maceration for 5-8 days and spent an average time on skins of about 20 days before being pressed to French oak barrels. The wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in

barrel and remained on its lees for 10 months before racking, blending and bottling. Indigenous yeasts were used which add to the wine’s complexity in addition to traditional methods of punching down the ferments by hand. Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir is held back for 12 months after bottling to allow further integration.

TASTING NOTES:

A succulent and complex Pinot Noir showing smouldering savoury and gamey character. Layers of rich dark plum and cherry, heady spice and perfumed floral notes abound. The finely concentrated palate shows suppleness and complexity

followed with a lengthy smooth finish, traditional of Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir. This is a classic wine that shows the elegance, harmony and sophistication required for longevity. Enjoy through to 2025.