Vineyard Description

The grapes for this wine were grown in the Awatere Valley of Marlborough. Close attention was paid to vine health and even fruit development as well as crop loading and fruit exposure to optimise fruit flavour. The grapes were hand harvested in the morning to ensure clean cool fruit was delivered to the winery.

Winemaking

After being hand harvested and cool stored overnight, the grapes were whole bunch pressed to provide pure, concentrated juice without phenolic bitterness. The juice was lightly settled for 12 hours then racked with turbidity to fermentation in both stainless tank and old oak barrique. Neutral yeasts and cool tank fermentation techniques were employed to preserve the natural fruit purity, in addition to indigenous yeast and barrel ferment for added complexity. Post fermentation, the wine was left on yeast lees for a further four months with weekly battonage to help build palate texture and richness. This wine was then blended, lightly fined and filtered to bottle.

Winemaker's Comment

This wine exhibits intense perfumed aromas of fresh ripe pear with hints of gentle spice. It has a textural palate showing baked apple, almond and cinnamon characters, followed by a balanced drying acidity creating a lengthy and harmonious finish.

Serving Suggestion

Pair with lightly spiced Asian cuisine or a fresh summer salad with diced crab meat.