Tohu Awatere Valley Pinot Noir 2019

TOHU AWATERE VALLEY PINOT NOIR 2019

TASTING NOTE

An elegantly structured Pinot Noir displaying bright bramble fruit, crushed dried herbs and rich earthy notes on the nose. On the palate concentrated f lavours of bright cherry and plum are supported by finely integrated smoky French oak. Balanced with soft and silky tannins, this delightfully enticing wine leads to a long, lingering finish.

WINEMAKING

Hand-harvested grapes were gently destemmed and gravity fed into small open top vessels, which were then chilled for 5 to 7 days before being warmed for fermentation. The majority of the wine went through a fast, warm ‘wild’ ferment, with a smaller portion inoculated with yeast cultured specifically for Pinot Noir. After fermentation the wine was pressed directly into French oak barriques and allowed to age in our dedicated Pinot Noir barrel cellar for the winter months. Once the temperatures started to warm again in spring the wine naturally underwent secondary malolactic fermentation, after which rigorous classification and blending decisions were made before being bottled in early May 2023.

VITICULTURE

The grapes for this wine were sourced from Marlborough’s southern Awatere Valley. Placed under the shadow of Mount Tapuae-o-Uenuku, the Awatere is on average much cooler, drier and windier than other sub-regions in Marlborough - resulting in a longer growing season and intense flavour development in the fruit.

The 2021/2022 growing season started with a warm spring and early summer providing excellent flowering and fruit-set conditions. Warm and dry conditions experienced over January quickly advanced the ripeness of the large crops, however unusually cool and wet weather in February slowed ripening considerably. Clear but cool conditions prevailed in the Awatere Valley from late February through to the end of March, allowing the fruit to gain concentrated fruit flavours without succumbing to disease pressure in time for the harvest which began on 28th March 2022.

AWARDS

Voted #1 - Top Red by Bob Campbell - August 2023