Goldfields Pinot Noir

Transcription

1 Goldfields Pinot Noir

2 Goldfields Pinot Noir 2015 Fragrant, perfumed and charming this wine is instantly inviting while still guarding secrets to unveil. The nose is powerful and beguiling with notes of sweet cherries, violets and wild thyme. The palate is full and fresh with silky fine tannins and prominent acidity. Unassuming yet complex, this is a perfect wine for everyday enjoyment as well as special occasions. The grapes were hand-harvested mid to late April. They were crushed and destemmed into 4-Tonne stainless fermenters. They were cold soaked for about a week, then inoculated and allowed to ferment reaching a peak temperature of 31degC. After cooling, the wine was racked into French oak barrels and left until the following March undergoing a malolactic fermentation during winter. The wine was finally cold stabilised and gently fined, but not filtered, ready for bottling. The winemaker is Jen Parr. Alcohol 14.0% Residual sugar nil ph 3.7 TA 5.6g/L New Oak 15%

3 Goldfields Pinot Noir 2014 One of the most reliable pinots offering outstanding value, this is impressively fruited and beautifully expressed. Lifted aromas of dark cherry, plum and game with hints of cedar and vanilla lead to a succulent palate that is richly fruited and generously textured. The wine is plump and fleshy, while remaining elegant and poised. A lovely drink. Wine Orbit 2016 The fruit was harvested in mid-april Time on skins approximately 1 month. After pressing, the wine was settled overnight and racked to French oak. The wine underwent a spring malolactic fermentation. It was aged for 12 months in 100% French oak barriques and in tank for a further 3 months. The wine was not fined, but was given a medium filtration. We expect this wine will continue to improve over 6-8 years. The winemaker is Jen Parr. Alcohol 13.67% Residual sugar nil ph 3.58 TA 5.47g/L New Oak 17%

4 Goldfields Pinot Noir 2013 Our 2013 vintage Goldfields Pinot noir once again highlights the classic savoury characters of this magnificent grape variety. Increasingly, this seems to be a function of the Bannockburn subregion as opposed to the more fruity characters of other regions. Nevertheless, the nose exhibits brooding dark plum and black cherry notes with floral undertones, but more particularly, interesting hints of chocolate, and damp forest floor. All becomes clear with the first mouthful. A very complex taste sensation unfolds revealing all the nose promised as well as layers of mushroom, liquorice, tobacco, to say nothing of a gentle spiciness cinnamon perhaps? Visitors claim they can sense thyme as well the ubiquitous weed that grows prolifically in our region. Those who live in the region are probably too conditioned to this character to notice it. Although still young at the time of writing (August 2015) the tannins are integrating well and show great promise of cellaring potential, and already show our trademark seductive character. The wine was aged for 10 months in 100% French oak barriques with around 12% as new oak. As always, because of the quality of our fruit, we can take a minimal interventionist approach which means no fining, no fine filtration, and no cold stabilisation, so basically, the drinker is enjoying wine straight from the barrel. Hence, no flavour loss which is inevitable with modern clean it up, drink now winemaking techniques. As a result, there is the possibility of a deposit forming with increasing age, so be aware that there may be some harmless tartrate crystals depositing in the bottle, which should stay there, at least until the last few drops are poured. Our wine maker is Sarah-Kate Dineen. Fruit was harvested in mid-april Time on skins approximately 1 month. After pressing, the wine was settled overnight and racked to French oak. The wine underwent a spring malolactic fermentation and was racked just once for bottling in March We expect this wine will continue to improve over 6 8 years. Alcohol 14.3% Residual sugar nil ph 3.65 TA 6.5g/L

5 Goldfields Pinot Noir 2012 Our 2012 vintage Goldfields Pinot noir once again highlights the classic savoury characters of this magnificent grape variety. Increasingly, this seems to be a function of the Bannockburn sub-region as opposed to the more fruity characters of other regions. Nevertheless, the nose exhibits brooding dark plum and black cherry notes with floral undertones, but more particularly, interesting hints of chocolate, and damp forest floor. All becomes clear with the first mouthful. A very complex taste sensation unfolds revealing all the nose promised as well as layers of mushroom, straw, liquorice, to say nothing of a gentle spiciness cinnamon perhaps? Visitors claim they can sense thyme as well the ubiquitous weed that grows prolifically in our region. Those who live in the region are probably too conditioned to this character to notice it! Although still young at the time of writing (June 2014) the tannins are integrating well and show great promise of cellaring potential, but already show our trademark seductive character. The wine was aged for 10 months in 100% French oak barriques with around 15% as new oak. As always, because of the quality of our fruit, we can take a minimal interventionist approach which means no fining, no fine filtration, and no cold stabilisation, so basically, the drinker is enjoying wine straight from the barrel. Hence, no flavour loss which is inevitable with modern clean it up, drink now winemaking techniques. As a result, there is the possibility of a deposit forming with increasing age, so be aware that there may be some harmless tartrate crystals depositing in the bottle, which should stay there, at least until the last few drops are poured. Our wine maker is Sarah-Kate Dineen. Fruit was harvested in early April Time on skins approximately 1 month. After pressing, the wine was settled overnight and racked to French oak. The wine underwent a spring malolactic fermentation and was racked just once for bottling in March We expect this wine will continue to improve over 6 8 years. Alcohol 14.3% Residual sugar nil ph 3.65 TA 6.1/L

6 Goldfields Pinot Noir 2011 Once again, our 2011 vintage Goldfields Pinot noir tends to exhibit the more savoury character of the Pinot noir grape, (more typical of the Bannockburn sub-region) as opposed to fruity and floral characters. Earthy, spicy and herbal notes predominate on the nose. The taste is complex and shows the expected black cherry and dark plum notes, but the real interest lies beneath these flavours. Certainly a very complex wine with more than a hint of chocolate, liquorice, damp forest, and wild herbs showing through. All this is integrated with just the right balance of acid; and tannins partly from the grapes themselves, and partly from the judicious use of French oak barrels. Our ability to fully ripen the grapes while keeping sugar levels in control gives this wine our trade mark seductive velvety texture. Because of our minimal intervention approach, which means no fining, no fine filtration, and no cold stabilisation (thus minimal loss of flavour and character) this wine may exhibit a harmless deposit of tartrate crystals. Harvested on 13/4/11. Time on skins 28 days. When pressed the wine was settled over night and racked to French oak. The wine underwent a Spring malolactic fermentation and was racked just once for blending and bottling in March Because of the superior quality of the fruit used in the crafting of this wine, we once again decided to bottle this wine without fining treatment, or filtration. This allows the wine to age more gracefully. We expect this wine will continue to improve over 6 8 years. Our wine maker is Jen Parr. Alcohol 14.0% Residual sugar nil ph 3.62 TA 6.3/L

7 Goldfields Pinot Noir gave us dark brooding wines, and this is certainly true for our Goldfields Pinot noir. The nose is assailed by an orchestra of aromas including squashed black cherries, spice and herbs, and floral notes. Tasting the wine delivers the primary flavours of cherries and plums, along with berry flavours. Underneath, there is a multitude of characters such as liquorice, chocolate, straw, cigar box, and more spice. The overall impression is a wine displaying a more savoury character rather than wholly fruit driven. Wrapping it all up are our seductive silky tannins - partly from the grapes themselves and partly from the judicious use of French oak barrels was a great harvest giving us wines of tremendous concentration and balance. Each clone was hand-harvested at optimal ripeness. The grapes were fermented in 5 and 6 tonnes stainless steel fermenters with each undergoing a 5 day cold soak. The fermentation was kept at or below 32 degrees and lasted 7-10 days with a few additional days on skins for maceration. The pressed wine was settled overnight and racked to 1-5 year old fine grain French oak barrels. After a winter sitting cold in barrel, the wine went through malolactic fermentation in spring. After the blends were selected, the wine was racked to tank to blend. No fining was required. The wine maker is Jen Parr. Alcohol 14.3% Residual sugar nil ph 3.51 TA 5.4/L

8 Goldfields Pinot Noir 2009 This wine has flavours of black cherries, dark plums and berries. Behind these primary flavours there is an interesting hint of spice, mushroom, chocolate and even liquorice complementing its velvety texture. All this is integrated with just the right balance of acid and tannins - partly from the grapes themselves, and partly from the judicious use of French oak barrels. Our trade mark seductive, silky texture is again very apparent due to our ability to fully ripen our fruit without sugar levels becoming out of balance. Approximately 20% of this wine was matured in new barrels, with the balance matured in one to three year old barrels. This wine was assessed of being of such superior quality, that the decision was made to bottle it with neither fining nor filtration. This avoided any chance of flavour reduction due to these clarifying processes. The wine was produced from clones UCD5 & 6 and the Dijon clone 115 to give extra complexity. We expect this wine to develop further in the bottle for at least another 6-8 years. The wine maker is Jen Parr, awarded Winemaker of the Year at the NZ International Wine Show The grapes were picked in mid April 2009 in sound condition with no disease pressure at all. The average Brix of the fruit was During fermentation the musts were punched down 3-4 times daily. Total maceration time was 3-4 weeks. The wine was gently pressed in an air bag press to 1.2 bar and racked into barrels. Through late winter, the wine underwent malolactic fermentation. In February the wine was bottled. Alcohol 14.3% Residual sugar nil ph 3.3 TA 6.3g/L

9 Goldfields Pinot Noir was a difficult year for the NZ wine industry because berry size, and therefore bunch weight, was higher than expected. As a result, there was a potential problem of too much juice, and not enough flavour. In the vineyard we worked hard to control that with considerable success. The result is a wine that is more Burgundian in character than is normal for Central Otago Pinots. So, this wine is certainly complex, but the flavours are a little more subtle than usual. We expect it to be a spectacular wine! Our Goldfields Pinot noir 2008 has flavours of cherries, plums and berries. Behind these primary flavours there is an interesting hint of herbs, mushroom and even liquorice complementing its velvety mouthfeel. All this is integrated with just the right balance of acid, and tannins - partly from the grapes themselves, and also judicious use of French oak barrels. Approximately 26% of this wine was matured in new barrels, with the balance matured in one to three year old barrels. Our trademark seductive, silky texture is again very apparent due to our ability to fully ripen our fruit without allowing sugar levels to become out of balance. This wine was assessed of being of such superior quality, that the decision was made to bottle it with neither fining nor filtration. With the wine allowing us to do this, we avoided any chance of flavour reduction due to these clarifying processes. The wine is produced from clones UCD5&6, and the Dijon clone 115 to give extra complexity. We expect this wine to develop further in the bottle for at least another 4-6 years. The grapes were picked in mid-april, 2008 in sound condition with no disease pressure at all. The average Brix of the fruit was TA was approximately 6.3g/L with a ph of 3.3. During fermentation the musts were punched down 3-4 times daily. Total maceration time was 3-4 weeks. Then the wine was gently pressed in an air bag press to 1.2 bar, and racked into barrels. Through winter, the wine underwent malolactic fermentation. In February the wine was bottles. The wine maker is Matt Connell.

10 Goldfields Pinot Noir 2007 It is becoming generally recognised that the Central Otago 2007 vintage, although small in quantity, is one of the best yet in terms of quality. We believe this certainly holds true for this wine. It shows all the expected characteristics of a premium Central Otago Pinot noir. In particular, the colour is a rich plummy red and the flavours are primarily of black cherries, plum, and berries. Behind these primary flavours there are interesting hints of herbs, mushroom, and even liquorice complementing its smooth mouthfeel. All this is integrated with just the right balance of acid; and tannins - partly from the grapes themselves, and also judicious use of French oak barrels. Approximately 35% of this wine was matured in new barrels, with the balance matured in either one or two year old barrels. Once again, this wine exhibits our trade mark seductive, silky texture, almost certainly due to our ability to fully ripen our fruit without allowing sugar levels to become out of balance. This wine was neither fined nor filtered as it presented so well in the barrel, it was considered unnecessary, and our philosophy is to interfere with the wine to the least extent possible. Accordingly, a small deposit of harmless tartrates may form after cellaring. The wine is produced from clones 5, 6, and the Dijon clone 115 to give extra complexity. We expect this very complex wine to develop further in the bottle for possibly 8-10 years. The grapes were picked in mid April, 2007 in sound condition with no disease pressure at all. The average Brix of the fruit was TA was approximately 6.3g/L with a ph of During fermentation the musts were punched down 3 4 times daily. Total maceration time was around 3 weeks. Then the wine was gently pressed in an air bag press to 1.2 bar, and racked into barrels. Through winter, the wine underwent malolactic fermentation. In February the wine was bottled. The wine maker is Matt Connell.

11 Goldfields Pinot Noir 2006 Our Goldfields Pinot noir 2006 shows all the expected characteristics of a premium Central Otago Pinot noir. In particular, the colour is a rich plummy red and the flavours are primarily of cherries, plum, and berries. Behind these primary flavours there is an interesting hint of herbs, mushroom, and even liquorice complementing its smooth mouthfeel. All this is integrated with just the right balance of acid; and tannins - partly from the grapes themselves, and also judicious use of French oak barrels. Approximately 35% of this wine was matured in new barrels, with the balance matured in either one or two year old barrels. Our trade mark seductive, silky texture, is again very apparent due to our ability to fully ripen our fruit without allowing sugar levels to become out of balance. This wine was assessed of being of such superior quality, that the decision was made to bottle it without a fining treatment all the post-barrelage treatment it received was a filtration. With the wine allowing us to do this, we avoided any chance of flavour reduction due to the fining process. The wine is produced from clones 5, 6, and the Dijon clone 115 to give extra complexity. We expect this wine to develop further in the bottle for at least another 4-6 years. The grapes were picked in mid April, 2006 in sound condition with no disease pressure at all. The average Brix of the fruit was TA was approximately 6.3g/L with a ph of During fermentation the musts were punched down 3 4 times daily. Total maceration time was around 18 days. Then the wine was gently pressed in an air bag press to 1.2 bar, and racked into barrels. Through winter, the wine underwent malolactic fermentation. In February the wine was bottled. The wine maker is Matt Connell (of Olssen s Garden Vineyard).

12 Goldfields Pinot Noir 2005 Our Goldfields Pinot noir 2005 shows all the expected characteristics of a premium Central Otago Pinot noir. In particular, the colour is a rich plummy red and the flavours are primarily of cherries, plum, and berries. Behind these primary flavours there is an interesting hint of herbs, mushroom, and even liquorice complementing its smooth mouthfeel. All this is integrated with just the right balance of acid; and tannins - partly from the grapes themselves, and also judicious use of French oak barrels. Approximately 35% of this wine was matured in new barrels, with the balance matured in either one or two year old barrels. Our trade mark seductive, silky texture, is again very apparent due to our ability to fully ripen our fruit without allowing sugar levels to become out of balance. This wine was assessed of being of such superior quality, that the decision was made to bottle it without a fining treatment all the post-barrelage treatment it received was a coarse filtration. With the wine allowing us to do this, we avoided any chance of flavour reduction due to the fining process. The wine is produced from clones 5, 6, and the Dijon clone 115 to give extra complexity. We expect this wine to develop further in the bottle for at least another 6-7 years. The grapes were picked in late March, 2005 in sound condition with no disease pressure at all. The average Brix of the fruit was TA was approximately 6.3g/L with a ph of During fermentation the musts were punched down 3 4 times daily. Total maceration time was around 18 days. Then the wine was gently pressed in an air bag press to 1.2 bar, and racked into barrels. Through winter, the wine underwent malolactic fermentation. In February the wine was bottled. The wine maker is Matt Connell (of Olssen s Garden Vineyard).

13 Goldfields Pinot Noir was a difficult vintage for all Central Otago winegrowers due to late Spring frosts affecting many hectares of vines. Like most winegrowers, we suffered Nature s whims too, and approached the 2004 vintage with considerable trepidation. As it turned out, although quantity was well down on expectations, the quality was still there, but in an interesting format. This vintage has proven to be more like a Burgundian wine with alcohol reduced to 13% and colour a little lighter than we would normally expect from Central Otago. We do not seek to replicate Burgundian wine, but instead seek to allow the expression of Pinot noir grapes to the Central Otago terroir. This vintage, however, had other ideas and we do not eschew the likeness to its home country. Our worst fears never came to fruition, and the wine demonstrates a fine texture and plenty of berry and plummy fruits along with hints of forest floor and mushrooms. It is true that out of adversity comes good things, and we believe our vines have responded. We hope you agree!

14 Goldfields Pinot Noir 2003 The Bannock Brae Estate Goldfields Pinot noir 2003 is a worthy successor to the award winning The colour is the same rich plummy red and the flavours are primarily of cherries, plum, and berries. Behind these primary flavours there is an interesting hint of herbs, mushroom, and even liquorice backgrounding the luscious, silky texture. All this is integrated with just the right balance of acid; and tannins - partly from the grapes themselves, and also judicious use of French oak barrels. Approximately 25% of this wine was matured in new barrels, with the balance matured in either one or two year old barrels. This wine is produced from clones 5, 6, and the Dijon clone 115 to give extra complexity. We expect this wine to develop further in the bottle for at least another 6-7 years. The grapes were picked in late March, 2003 in sound condition with no disease pressure at all. The average Brix of the fruit was TA was approximately 8.2g/L with a ph of On arrival at the winery, 85% of the fruit was destemmed, with the remainder added as whole bunches. During fermentation the musts were punched down 3 4 times daily. Total maceration time was 20 days. Then the wine was gently pressed in an air bag press to 1.2 bar, and racked into barrels. Through winter, the wine underwent malolactic fermentation. In February, the wine was lightly egg white fined and filtered prior to bottling. The wine maker is Peter Bartle (of Olssen s Garden Vineyard). ph 3.48 % alc Residual sugar <1.5g/L Total acidity 6.2g/L

15 Goldfields Pinot Noir 2002 A quality Central Otago Pinot noir can be expected to have a number of defined characteristics, and Goldfields Pinot noir exhibits all of them. The colour is a rich plummy red and the flavours are primarily of cherries, plum, and berries. Behind these primary flavours there is an interesting hint of herbs, cinnamon, and even liquorice backgrounding the luscious, silky texture. All this is integrated with just the right balance of acid; and tannins - partly from the grapes themselves, and also judicious use of French oak barrels. Approximately 30% of this wine was matured in new barrels, with the balance matured in either one or two year old barrels. This wine is produced from clones 5, 6, and the Dijon clone 115 to give extra complexity. We expect this wine to develop further in the bottle for at least another 6-7 years. The grapes were picked on 3 5 April 2002 in sound condition with no disease pressure at all. The average Brix of the fruit was TA was 8.2g/L with a ph of 3.3. On arrival at the winery, 87% of the fruit was destemmed, with the remainder added as whole bunches. During fermentation the musts were punched down 3 4 times daily. Total maceration time was 20 days. Then the wine was gently pressed in an air bag press to 1.2 bar, and racked into barrels. In spring, the wine underwent malolactic fermentation. In February, the wine was egg white fined and filtered prior to bottling. The wine maker is Matt Dicey of Mt Difficulty group. ph 3.55 % alc Residual sugar <1.5 g/l Total acidity 6.1g/L

16 Goldfields Pinot Noir 2001 Goldfields Pinot noir exhibits the characteristics expected of a quality Central Otago Pinot noir. The colour is a rich plummy red and the flavours are primarily of cherries, plum, and berries. Nevertheless, there is an interesting hint of herbs and cinnamon backgrounding the luscious, silky flavour. All this is integrated with just the right balance of tannins, partly from the grapes themselves, and also judicious use of French oak barrels. Approximately 33% of this wine was matured in new barrels, with the balance matured in either one or two year old barrels. This wine is produced primarily from clones 5 and 6, with a small amount of the Dijon clone, 115, adding further interest. The grapes were picked on April 2001 in sound condition with no disease pressure at all. The Brix of the fruit ranged from TA was g/l with a ph of 3.3. On arrival at the winery, 90% of the fruit was destemmed, with the remainder added as whole bunches. During fermentation the musts were punched down about 3 4 times daily and temperatures typically peaked at 33 C. After about two weeks, the wine was gently pressed off using an air bag press to 1.2 bar, and racked into barrels. In spring, the wine underwent malolactic ferment-ation. In late January, the wine was egg white fined and filtered prior to bottling. The wine maker is Matt Dicey, of Mt Difficulty group. ph 3.55 % alc Residual sugar <1.5 g/l Total acidity 6.1g/L