Bendigo Estate Pinot Noir 2018

"SUI GENERIS" (OF IT'S OWN KIND)

Ruby-red in colour accompanied by notes of raspberry and spice. Rich and elegant on the palate with ripe plum, cherry and cinnamon. Medium bodied with velvet tannins integrated acidity and a long finish. Very good ageing potential.

• Vineyard
• Vintage
• Winemaking
• Technical

• From our pioneer Bendigo Estate vineyard. BioGro certified organic and Demeter certified biodynamic; with a vine density of 5,000 - 8,000 plants per hectare on grafted pinot noir clones, planted in 1998. The soils on the beautiful north facing slope are Waenga fine sandy loam and Letts steepland with an elevation from 217 – 264 metres, on 44.55° south.
• We experienced an extraordinary summer resulting in the hottest growing season ever in Central Otago’s modern history. Early flowering and ripening meant our normal six months of growing was condensed into a mere five months. February rain brought relief for the vines and enabled them to achieve physiological ripeness, and warmer than normal nights lead to lower acidity. Harvest dates were brought forward to achieve perfect balance.
• Hand-picked on the 12th March. 12.5% whole bunch. Cold soaked for 7 days before indigenous yeast fermentation kicked in. Gentle hand plunging throughout ferment, followed by post-fermentation maceration of 6 days to ensure optimum fruit and tannin balance. Total time on skin; 24 days. Drained directly into selected French oak barriques (33% new, 33% 1 year old and 33% 2 years old) where the wine aged for 15 months during which natural malolactic fermentation occurred. Bottled without fining and filtration. The winemaking was very much in keeping with the traditional practices of the Old World. Winemaker, Rudi Bauer, has combined these techniques, and his own personal understanding, to create this wine.
• pH: 3.69, TA: 5.1g/l,
  Alc: 14% Clone: 5 & 115
  Bottling Date: 5th September 2019
  Ageing Potential: 7 – 10 years