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Pinot Noir 2006 Tasting Notes Wondrous Central Otago Pinot Noir from a great vintage, the nose is all wild cherry, mushrooms and fresh raspberries with a palate full of juicy plums, sweet cherries and strawberries. The texture is velvety smooth and judiciously balanced by refreshing acidity and hints of smoky oak. Partner this wine with everything including salmon, beef and mushroom stew, pan-seared venison and grilled pork tenderloin. Enjoy a bottle now or cellar for up to five years. Viticulture A large percentage of the grapes used to create this Pinot Noir are grown near Lake Dunstan in the Cromwell basin region of Central Otago. The vineyard overlooks the lake and its gentle slope provides good sun exposure and airflow. The balance of the fruit was sourced from selected sites around Alexandra and the Gibbston Valley. The Central Otago climate, with its cool nights and hot days, inspires great physiological ripeness in the fruit without loss of flavour and acidity. Post-veraison work consists mostly of bunch thinning and manual leaf plucking. Cropping levels are kept at 5 (metric) tonnes per hectare or 2.2 (short) tons per acre, or less. Winemaking All fruit is hand harvested and processed at the winery in Central Otago. By harvest date the local conditions are already very cool and processing is therefore at low temperatures. A period of cold soaking is followed by an extended fermentation using natural yeasts. Ferments are cap plunged several times a day by hand. Once dry, the wine is racked to barrel for malolactic conversion. Barrel maturation follows for about eight months to allow the solids to settle naturally. French barriques are used: 33% new, 33% one-year-old and the balance two-year-old oak. Fruit quality is the most important element in the making of superior Central Otago Pinot Noir, with minimal intervention in the winery. The wine received a light egg white fining prior to bottling in February 2007 under Diam cork (to learn more about the Diam cork visit www.oeneo.co.uk).