HollyBruce by Matahiwi Estate2024

Bruce by Matahiwi Estate Pinot Noir, are two very special barrels of our top pinot noir. Bruce was the grandfather of Holly, our reserve label namesake. He was a one of a kind person who loved his community, as well as bagpipes and tartan. We don’t make Bruce every year, only in very special years, to honour a very special man.

The nose has enchanting floral aromas, forest fruits, smoke and spice. The palate has concentrated flavours of cherry, plum, wood and earth, with spicy tannins and a sustained finish. A great accompaniment to hearty dishes, such as vegetable goulash, steak, venison casserole or a haggis.

Vineyard

The fruit is from our home vineyard at Matahiwi, a raised gravel ridge outside Masterton in Wairarapa. This site is in the rain shadow of the Tararua ranges to the west and Mount Bruce to the north, creating the perfect vineyard climate. The long cool dry growing season and naturally low yields give excellent tannin ripeness while retaining freshness and vibrancy. For this wine we target small blocks for extra fruit thinning and canopy management to maximise quality.

Winemaking

The fruit was harvested by clonal selection, and for this wine we used 50% Abel clone and 50% clone 5. The Abel was 100% whole bunch fermented while the clone 5 was destemmed. 28 days after harvest, the fermenters were pressed off and the wine was run straight to barrel. 50% of which were new oak. There they underwent malolactic fermentation. After 14 months of barrel aging the blend was assembled and bottled.

Awards & Reviews

2021

Awarded 95 pts by Bob Campbell

2019

Awarded 95 pts by Bob Campbell
Awarded 95 pts by Cameron Douglas