Kina Beach Pinot Noir 2017

An elegant and lighter style single vineyard Pinot Noir with aromas of creamy cherries and a soft and restrained oak character. Made in a fruit-forward style it offers a sweet entry with good balance and length. This is a gorgeous, lighter style Pinot Noir that provides an attractive alternative to our Reserve Pinot Noir style.

The vines excel on rolling northerly facing slopes with free draining Moutere Clay soils of sandy loam. Modest rainfall throughout the year along with a cleansing sea breeze from both the Moutere inlet and Tasman Bay provide an excellent growing environment. No irrigation along with a rigid leaf plucking, shoot tucking, trimming and bunch thinning regime – all done by hand – ensure ample ventilation and exposure to the sun.

Minimal intervention winemaking was used to bring vineyard fruit to the forefront of this wine. The fruit was destemmed and pumped-over for eight days before being pressed off and put into seasoned French oak barrels. Enzyme and yeast strain was added to help with extraction, colour and filtering. The shorter fermentation period aimed to emphasize fruit character over tannin, earthiness and deeper structure. The wine went through natural malolactic fermentation giving it a nice creaminess. After 12 months in barrel the wine was pumped and held in tank for 3 months before being bottled.

Released 27 October 2020. At its best now until 2025 and beyond.