About the wine
Single Vineyard Pinot
This is our third vintage from our small Alexandra vineyard.
Tasting Notes
Climatically Alexandra was more benign than Gibbston this vintage, although crop levels were affected by inclement weather late in spring and a cooler start to summer. Dominated on the nose by black cherry, spice and hints of mineral and thyme aromatics, this wine is a true expression of its terrior. The soft elegant layers of the wine roll across the palate, which is characterised, by a persistent finesse and a beguiling depth and subtlety of flavour. This elegant and distinguished Central Otago Pinot Noir will reward cellaring.
Winemaker's Notes Fermentation was dictated by separate clonal difference. Again a mix of fermentations was used, including whole bunch selection. Fermentation occurred over a four-week period before the wine was transferred to small French oak barrels, using a mix of 30% new with a range of one to three year old barrels. The wine was aged in barrels for 11 months before bottling on May 2, 2005.
Vineyard: Stephen and Jim Moffitt.
Winemaker: Dean Shaw
Reviews
| Award / Reviewer | Date | Rating | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geoff Kelly Wine Reviews | Apr 2007 | 16.5 Points | |
[screwcap; some whole bunch, cold soak and extended cuvaison to 4 weeks with wild yeast; 11 months in French oak 30% new] Cherry red, a little deeper than the First Paddock. Bouquet is more red fruits, less floral than the sister wine. Palate is firm red cherry, with a suggestion of hardness like under-ripe red plums, a little more concentrated than the First Paddock, not as concentrated the ’04 Carrick, needing to mellow in bottle a couple of years. Like the First Paddock, this too is remarkably akin to a minor Beaune or thereabouts wine, in a cooler year. Cellar 3 – 8 years. |
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| Cuisine, Issue 119, November 2006 | Nov 2006 | ||
Named after an old miner's water-race on the property, Sam Neill's two hectare vineyard near Alexandra has yielded a supple wine, full coloured, with fresh, intense cherry, plum and spice flavours and savoury, complex notes. It's a stylish, elegant wine, developing well. |
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