Black Estate Home Pinot Noir 2019

Deep crimson hue. Fresh and complex aromas of wild forest berry’s, sandalwood, and humid earth. Rich red and black fruits with Silky mouth coating tannins emerging that gradually melt revealing a fine and persistent mineral finish. The balance gives a clear impression of the soft, fertile, and highly mineralised sedimentary clay soils of the Home Vineyard. This is an unfiltered wine with small amounts of sediment. Please allow the bottle to stand and settle before pouring. Decanting will allow maximum expression of aroma and purity of fruit to emerge. Drink now to 2030

This Black Estate Home Pinot Noir was grown on our Home Vineyard located 6 kilometres north east of the Waipara Junction, in the Omihi sub-district of Waipara Valley, North Canterbury. This is a north facing sedimentary clay fan on a gentle hill side slope. The soils are mainly Awapuni clay with calcium carbonate deposits. The un-grafted Pinot Noir vines are predominantly 10-5 clone and were planted in 1994 at a vine density of 1841 vines per hectare. The new planting completed in 2011 has 2.0ha planted at 6177 vine/ha with 115, 667, 828, 943, Abel, and UCD5 clones. Organic and biodynamic farming practices have been used since 2010. Home Vineyard became fully certified organic with BioGro in March 2017.

Vineyard derived yeast, no fining or filtering, no new oak, no inputs except minimal sulphur at bottling.

Hand harvested fruit was 65% de-stemmed without crushing giving an average of 75% whole berry. Inoculated using vineyard derived yeast the wine fermented for 28 days in 0.5 to 2.5 ton open top fermenters. The vats were plunged using hand and foot two times per day during the peak of ferment. Each vat was pressed individually using a basket press. The wines were matured in 228L and 500L French Barrels for 12 months, 0% were new. The wine was then racked from barrel, blended and settled in tank for 6 months and then bottled without fining or filtration. Sulphites added.