Mt Difficulty Bannockburn Pinot Noir 2021

Mt Difficulty Bannockburn Pinot Noir 2021Smoky oak Dark cherry & plum Warm spice & dried herb Fine tannins "Fragrant and quite floral aroma with smoky oak, dark cherry berry, cassis blackcurrant, spice and subtle hedgerow flavours. Rich, flavoursome wine with a suggestion of dried herbs. Should age well" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Aug 2023 A lovely, bold expression of Bannockburn Pinot that opens with dark cherries and warm spice. Distinct notes of dried herb and cedar lead

• Smoky oak
• Dark cherry & plum
• Warm spice & dried herb
• Fine tannins

"Fragrant and quite floral aroma with smoky oak, dark cherry/berry, cassis/blackcurrant, spice and subtle hedgerow flavours. Rich, flavoursome wine with a suggestion of dried herbs. Should age well" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Aug 2023

A lovely, bold expression of Bannockburn Pinot that opens with dark cherries and warm spice. Distinct notes of dried herb and cedar lead to dark cherry and bramble berry fruit. Blackberry, plum and raspberry flood the palate with a fine web of tannin, that supports the concentrated fruit core of the wine. A long, structural finish with spice notes. Mt Difficulty Bannockburn Pinot Noir will improve for up to 10 years given optimal cellaring conditions.

Grapes for Bannockburn Pinot Noir come exclusively from estate and winery managed vineyards situated on the south side of the Kawarau River. While subject to the seasonal and diurnal temperature extremes of Central Otago, each vineyard has a specific terroir and a variety of low fertility soil types: light sands, clays, loams and gravels. The majority of grapes come from earlier plantings which are predominantly clones 5, 6 and 10/5, while more recent plantings are a mix of Dijon clones 113, 115, 667 and 777.

The 2021 growing season was a return to the enviable, lower stress conditions that Central Otago is famous for. We started with a warm spring, which gave the vines a good start. January was cooler and wetter, which replenished the soils and slowed growth, giving small, intensely flavoured grapes. By the time the beginning of harvest rolled around, we were just ahead of our long term average in terms of rate of ripening, and with fruit in fantastic condition. Yields were thankfully back to average in most areas, with only Bannockburn cropping slightly lower. This has given wines with excellent flavour and structure. 

We started harvesting our Pinot Noir on the 24th March and continued through until the 29th April, a classic ripening window for Bannockburn Pinot Noir. Where possible, we tried to co-ferment different clonal lots from the same vineyard, while vineyards are kept separate. Around three quarters of our ferments were de-stemmed only; the remaining quarter contained 15-40% whole clusters. The must underwent 6 days of cold maceration, being partially hand plunged once daily. The ferments were heated after this and all fermented with indigenous yeasts. The ferments lasted for an average of 8 days during which time they were hand plunged once or twice daily with the temperature peaking at 30°C. The wine stayed on skins for a further 7-9 days post-dryness, and were plunged only occasionally. When the wine tasted in harmony it was pressed off to barrel where it resided on full lees for 12 months. It underwent malolactic fermentation in the spring, was racked out of barrel in late autumn and filtered, but not fined, prior to bottling. This wine is vegan friendly.