Main Divide TEHAU RESERVE Pinot Noir 2008
Submitted by marketing on Mon, 24/01/2011 - 16:55
The Donaldson Family traces its Kiwi roots back about 1000 years. In keeping with this we have chosen to honour this special New Zealand wine with an ancestral name.
A mild spring and early summer ensured a good crop setting on the vines. The weather then became increasingly hot and dry, causing us to be anxious that the plants would become stressed and that the fruit would suffer. A downpour in mid-February broke this drought pattern and from then on we had enough moisture to bring the season back into balance so that when picking the pinot it was ripe, mature and healthy.
After picking, the destemmed grapes were put into vats and left cool in the winery for several days. When they warmed they commenced natural, primary fermentation and during this period the floating cap of grapes was gently, manually plunged twice daily to keep it moist and healthy. When fermentation was finished, the grape remnants were kept in contact with the wine in sealed tanks for several weeks of post-fermentation maceration to help the structure of the wine, the exact period for each lot being determined by regular tasting. The new wine was then put into oak barriques of artisan Burgundian coopers and then left to rest in the cool cellars. When these warmed in the following early summer, the wine under-went spontaneous malo-lactic or secondary fermentation by the action of its own micro-organisms. It was bottled after a total of 18 months in barrel.
On release this wine has a lifted, aromatic bouquet and an enticing mouthful of fruit flavours, suggestive of raspberries, mulberries and blackberries. There are also hints of maraschino cherries, vanilla pod and chocolate, as well as a whiff of wood smoke. It initially seems seductively silky and soft in the mouth, but it gradually expands to become concentrated and powerful. In spite of this, the wine remains elegant, refined and stylish. A spicy after-taste lingers on the palate after swallowing.
Wine in moderation is a natural health food
