Holly Pinot Noir2020
Our Holly range is the best we produce. As our reserve range, named after the owners’ daughter, they are our stand out vintage to vintage.
The Matahiwi vineyard is situated on an alluvial boulder ridge in the Masterton district of Wairarapa. With warm free draining soils and the cool dry local climate this is an ideal place to grow Pinot noir. This wine is harvested from the very best parcels of fruit on our Home Estate, typically from low yielding vines on the lowest vigour areas within the vineyard.
The 2020 Holly Pinot Noir ripples with elegance and finesse reflecting the warm growing season experienced throughout the Wairarapa region. Bold aromatic expressions of wild flower, red berries, spice and herb give way to a fresh palate with generous length and graceful oak.
Vineyard
The Holly Pinot Noir is chosen in the vineyard to provide some of our best fruit. The Matahiwi vineyard is planted in several combinations of rootstock and Pinot Noir clones. For this Pinot Noir, we used the clones of 667, 5, 777, Abel and 113. In the final blend, each clone adds their own character and complexity. The vintage was excellent with warm weather during flowering and a long dry summer with hot days and cool nights – perfect Pinot Noir ripening conditions. This resulted in vines with a balanced crop load and the fruit achieving ideal ripeness. The vineyard blocks selected for the Holly Pinot Noir recieve additional attention during the growing season with alot of leaf plucking and shoot positioning done by hand to expose the fruit and ensure optimum ripeness.
Winemaking
In the winery the different batches of fruit are processed separately so that we can see the individual characters on their own. We then add further complexities by incorporating different techniques and yeast combinations. The grapes are cold soaked for between five to seven days and then fermented at about 28-32C. If the fruit is in very good condition still we allow up to 21 days post-ferment on skins before the grapes are pressed off and malolactic fermentation is completed in the tank. The wine is matured in French oak barrels (about 35 per cent are new) for 10 months. The barrels are then each individually tasted before the final blend is confirmed.
Awards & Reviews
2021
Awarded 94 pts by Cameron Douglas MS
Awarded Double Gold CWSA
Awarded 94 pts and Silver medal by Decanter
2020
Awarded 94 pts by Cameron Douglas MS
Awarded 94 pts by Wine Orbit
Awarded Silver by IWC
Awarded 91 points by Bob Campbell
2019
Awarded 92 points by Bob Campbell
Awarded 18.5/20 points by Candice Chow
Awarded Gold by NZ International Wine Show
Awarded 90 points and Silver Medal at IWSC 2020
2018
Awarded Gold by Drinks Business Pinot Noir Masters
Awarded 94 pts by Cameron Douglas MS
Awarded 91 pts by James Suckling
Awarded 90 pts by Bob Campbell
Awarded silver by Texsom Wine Awards
2016
Awarded Gold by IWC and Trophy for the Wairarapa
Awarded Gold by Drinks Business Pinot Noir Masters