Giesen Estate Pinot Noir 2018

This is a Pinot Noir with wonderful red cherry, spices, bramble fruit and lifted florals. The fine tannins balance well with its acid backbone creating a generous, smooth wine.

The fruit we select from the Wairau Valley gives the blend bright red fruit flavours. Compared to the Wairau Valley, the Awatere Valley is cooler at night giving fruit with intense dark colour and wild herb complexity.

Once at the winery, fruit was crushed and cold soaked for four to six days. Fermentation on skins occurred for 16 to 29 days. The winemaking team treat ferments gently to avoid over-extraction to produce a soft gentle Pinot Noir. Yeasts that can handle high fermentation temperatures are chosen, this helps to stabilise colour as much as possible & to heighten flavours in the wine. The aim is to extract as much colour as possible but not extract too much tannin, a balancing act our winemakers have mastered.

The wine was aged on good quality clean lees in French oak for six months to help build natural sweetness and texture.