Misha's Vineyard The Soloist Central Otago Pinot Rosé 2023

Misha's Vineyard The Soloist Central Otago Pinot Rosé 2023This refreshing Ros flaunts vibrant raspberry aromas adding complexity with notes of watermelon, candy floss and anise with a generous palate and lingering finish. Mishas Vineyard is located on a spectacular site in New Zealand on the edge of Lake Dunstan in the Bendigo sub region of Central Otago. The sun drenched north west facing terraces of the 57 hectare estate provide optimal conditions for producing world class Pinot Noir and aromatic white

This refreshing Rosé flaunts vibrant raspberry aromas adding complexity with notes of watermelon, candy floss and anise with a generous palate and lingering finish.

Misha’s Vineyard is located on a spectacular site in New Zealand on the edge of Lake Dunstan in the Bendigo sub-region of Central Otago. The sun drenched north-west facing terraces of the 57-hectare estate provide optimal conditions for producing world-class Pinot Noir and aromatic white varieties. Our ‘no compromise’ philosophy requires exacting viticulture regimes, hand-picking, and considerate winemaking methodologies.

Overall, it was an excellent season in Central Otago with warm temperatures and very little rainfall. Early in the season, cool and cloudy weather impacted flowering which had us concerned about the subsequent fruit set but it wasn’t an issue. The warm and settled conditions throughout the season enabled excellent canopy growth. There was much less impact from the usual spring winds and we had some well-timed rain at the end of the season. All these factors resulted in above average berry weights with bunch numbers also high from the previous season’s ideal conditions. This resulted in a record total crop, and whilst positive, the conditions did require an extra level of vineyard management with multiple row passes, especially in the Pinot Noir, to ensure quality was maintained. This fruit was hand-picked at an average yield of 7 T/ha and Growing Degree Days (GDDs) were 1167.

This year 50% of the Pinot Noir fruit was destemmed and crushed into picking bins for 24 hour soaking to extract some colour and flavour from the skins. The other half was whole bunch pressed immediately resulting in less colour and a brighter more delicate palate. The subsequent blend has a light but vibrant colour from the Pinot Noir skins, but not the tannins that would be extracted if the ferment was carried out on the skins like a red wine. The clear juice is fermented in stainless steel, at low temperatures (15ºC), to retain aromatics and provide a freshness to the wine. A small proportion (10%) was also fermented in older oak to add complexity. The resulting Rosé is off-dry in style, with plenty of varietal character and fruit purity.

Food Pairing: This style of Rosé is an ideal aperitif wine but also works well with antipasto, salads, light pasta dishes as well as raw or lightly cooked seafood. It matches a range of white meats and is the perfect partner for summer parties and BBQs.