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Pinot Noir - Bannockburn 2021

The tasting notes

Pinot Noir - Bannockburn - Click to purchase

2021 Bannockburn Pinot Noir 

Our Pinot Noir vines grow on two rare Bannockburn sites untouched by miners.  For almost 100 years fruit was grown on the Domain Road site, peaches, pears and apples originally and then apricots at a later stage. It has been said that if you can grow apricots then you can also grow great Pinot Noir and this has certainly been the case at Domain Road.  Our second vineyard, Defiance on Felton Road is considered to be one of the prime sites in this well known location.  

The grapes (clones 113, 115, 943 and Abel) were hand harvested on 27th & 28th March 2021 from Defiance vineyard.  The fruit was de-stemmed into stainless steel tanks with approximately 8% added as whole bunch and inoculated with indigenous yeasts to carry out the fermentation.  The wine was aged in French oak barriques for approximately 10 months, of which 31% was new oak.  

Deep garnet with purple hues in colour, our Pinot Noir has fragrant aromas of violets, dark cherry, blackberry, dark plum, spice, tobacco leaf and toasty oak with a touch of mint on the nose.  The palate is rich and concentrated with ripe black plum, cherry, dark chocolate and blackberry.  A full bodied wine with ample silky fine tannins, leading to a long ripe berry finish. 

Food match: New Zealand lamb, but try with tuna or salmon - you will be surprised!! Vegetarian bakes (aubergine, lentils, tomato and mushrooms or creamy pumpkin risotto. 

"Gorgeously expressed on the nose, ....leading to a wonderfully flavoursome palate that's succulent and lingering. Generous yet refined and sophisticated with a sustained structured finish. Drink now through 2033" Sam Kim

"This Bannockburn Pinot Noir possesses classic Bannockburn dark fruit and herbs with refined concentration and a velvety tannin structure". Candice Chow

"Bold, fragrant nose, oak spices, then lead pencil, earthiness, savoury notes, dark fruits.  Ripely fruited, cherry, raspberry, summer berries with a corset of chewy tannins accentuating the structure. ....Those powerful tannins bring a bittersweet quality and really power the wine forward".  Mark Henderson

Download wine notes here

Variety 100% Pinot Noir
Appellation Central Otago
Sub Region Bannockburn
Vineyards Defiance
Harvest Date 27th & 28th March 2021
Alcohol 13.5%
Residual Sugar Nil 
Ph 3.66
TA 5.38g/L