Holly South Series Pinot Noir2021
The 2020 Holly South Series 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 vineyard blocks selected for the Holly South Series Pinot Noir receive additional attention during the growing season with a lot of leaf plucking and shoot positioning done by hand to expose the fruit and ensure optimum ripeness.
The Matahiwi Vineyard is planted in several combinations of rootstock and Pinot Noir clones. This wine was made from clones 667, 5, 777, each of which adds their own character and complexity to the final blend.
Winemaking
In the winery, the different batches of fruit were processed separately so that the individual characters could be retained. Further complexity was added by incorporating techniques such as plunging and pumping over to ensure optimum flavour extraction from the skins.
Prior to fermentation the grapes were left to cold soak for 3 days. Different yeast combinations were used, along with wild yeasts, to add even more depth of flavour. The different batches were then left on skins for 21 days before being pressed off into barrel.
This wine also incorporated some whole cluster fermentation, which has lifted the aromatic profile with floral and spice notes. Once in barrel, the wine was aged for 12 months in oak (23% new) before the final blend was put together.
Awards & Reviews
2021
Awarded Gold and the Trophy for the Wairarapa by IWC
Name in James Sucklings Top 100 Wines of New Zealand 2023
Awarded Gold by NZ International Wine Show
Awarded Gold by The Drinks Business UK magazine
Awarded 95pts Cameron Douglas
Awarded 94pts Sam Kim
Awarded 93pts by James Suckling
Awarded 92pts Bob Campbell – The Real Review
Awarded in the Top 10 NZ Pinot Noirs by Wine Folio
Awarded Silver by Decanter
2020
Awarded 95 points by Wine Orbit
Awarded 18.5+/20 points by Candice Chow
2019
Awarded 94 points by Bob Campbell
Awarded Gold by NZ International Wine Show
Awarded Gold by Drinks Business Pinot Noir Masters
Awarded Gold by Royal Easter Wine Show
Awarded 18.5+/20 points by Candice Chow
Awarded 91 points and Silver Medal at IWSC 2020
2018
Awarded 94 points by NZ Wine Magazine
Awarded 93 points by Cameron Douglas MS
Awarded 93 points by Wine Orbit – Sam Kim
Awarded 93 points by Bob Campbell
Awarded 91 points (Silver) IWC
Awarded 92 points and Silver Medal at Decanter 2020