Bendigo Estate Pinot Noir 2017

Four Seasons in One Bunch

Deep ruby-red in colour exhibiting spiced wild berries. Opulent and rich on the palate with notes of dark cherry, blackberry and liquorice. Silky tannins with a muscular structure and impressive length.

• Vineyard
• Vintage
• Winemaking
• Technical

• From our Bendigo Estate vineyard which is 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. Selected from the mid-section of the vineyard block 3-4: Clone 677.
• Although our Central Otago summer was cooler and windier than usual the fruit proudly ripened as normal. The season resulted in smaller bunches and lower berry weight which resulted in the grapes being concentrated with very good structure and weight.
• Hand-picked on the 5th April. 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; 23 days. Drained directly into selected French oak barriques (50% new) where the wine aged for 15 months during which natural malolactic fermentation occured. 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: 3.67, TA: 5.4g/l, Alc: 14%
  Bottling Date: 24th August 2018
  Ageing Potential: 7 – 10 years