Main Divide TIPINUI RESERVE Pinot Noir 2008

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.

This growing season was definitely one where “the best wines were made in the vineyard”.  A large crop of grapes set on the vines in Marlborough and, after naturally modest to low levels of crop in 2007, some growers were tempted to leave an excessive amount of fruit on the vines. The grapes for this wine, however, were thinned at an early stage to ensure better ripeness and concentration.

After harvest 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 stage the floating cap of grapes was gently, manually plunged twice daily to keep it moist and healthy.  When the 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 underwent 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 the wine is a bright ruby colour.  It has aromas and flavours reminiscent of red fruits such as raspberries, blackberries and purple plums.  These are supported by underlying savoury hints of grilled bacon, mushrooms and black olives.  It has good fruitiness in the mouth and a thread of spiciness, which sinuously winds its way through the palate and ends the long after-taste.  While ready to drink on release the wine should continue to gradually develop and unfold over several years with careful cellaring.

Wine in moderation is a natural health food