POUNAMU Special Selection Pinot Noir 2021

Offers exceptional value. Small production. Hand harvested. Wild ferment. 100% French Oak maturation. Aroma: Red plum, fresh cherry, juicy raspberry. Hints of earthiness. Very inviting. Palate: A burst of flavour, juicy, ripe, rewarding. Red summer fruits. Something smoky. Soft and silky. A very pretty wine. A joy to sip and savour. Channel target: retail, by-the-glass listings. Consumer target: those starting their wine journey.

Single Vineyard, Waihopai Valley, Marlborough. Sub-region: ‘Southern Valleys’. Three parcels of just 6ha. Two areas are excessively stony, the third with more clay content as on a slight slope, on the foothill.

Hand-picking into small bins, before midday, ensure the grapes are only ever harvested before the day heats up. Multiple picks so to ensure only the ripest bunches are taken. The fruit was 100% de-stemmed into stainless steel open top fermenters and cold soaked for several days before the ferments started with naturally occurring yeasts. During ferment, each batch was plunged three times daily to gently extract the tannin and colour. Once dry, each batch was held at 20°C for a post ferment maceration of several weeks before being pressed off separately and transferred into French Oak (225 litre, small percentage of new oak) barriques for maturation. Total maturation period in Oak; 6 months.