Matahiwi Estate Pinot Noir2022

This attractive, soft Pinot Noir shows red berry, dark plum and cherry flavours with fragrant fresh hay and savoury oak characters. On the palate, it is soft and round, with a hint of spicy smoky oak and a long finish.

Vineyard

The Matahiwi vineyard is planted in several combinations of rootstock and Pinot Noir clones and this Pinot is a blend of some of these – 115, 114, 10/5, 777, and Abel. 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.

Winemaking

In the winery the different batches of fruit are processed separately so that we can see the individual characters on their own and we add further complexities by incorporating different techniques and yeast combinations. The grapes are cold soaked for between five and seven days and then fermented at about 28-32 °C.  Depending on the fruit post ferment time ranges from three to 10 days before the wine is pressed off. The wine is then held in both tank and barrel for 8 months, undergoing malolactic fermentation, before being blended for bottling.