Misha's Vineyard Cantata Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017

Misha's Vineyard Cantata Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017"Seductive aromas of plum stone and cherry with hints of cigar box, this elegant Pinot Noir has a gentle palate with plum fruit sweetness, silky tannins and a long lingering finish Olly Masters, Winemaker 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

"Seductive aromas of plum stone and cherry with hints of cigar box, this elegant Pinot Noir has a gentle palate with plum-fruit sweetness, silky tannins and a long lingering finish” Olly Masters, Winemaker

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. Their ‘no compromise’ philosophy requires exacting viticulture regimes, hand-picking, and considerate winemaking methodologies.

The 2017 season in Central Otago was one of the coolest on record. Despite a warm start to the season in September, the rest of Spring was cool and it stayed that way throughout Summer. There was also more rain than usual in the first half of the season. The winds normally experienced in spring were unrelenting and continued through the Summer, however, Autumn had nearly perfect conditions and that helped with ripening. Our fruit was harvested in very good condition with smaller berries and bunches and whilst it is good for quality, it meant yields were substantially down on averages. The Growing Degree Days (GDDs) were 960 (with next lowest in 2009 at 1010). This Pinot Noir was hand-picked at between 1.5-5 tonnes per hectare.

The fruit was chilled overnight before destemming (36% whole bunch) the next day, typically as 4 tonne lots in open top fermenters. The crushed fruit was allowed to warm slowly for 5-7 days as the natural yeast ferment began to take place. Ferments were hand plunged 2-3 times per day. Cooling was used to ensure the ferments peaked below 32°C. The wine was then held warm (>20°C) post ferment to allow ongoing tannin integration. After an average of 25 days on skins the wines were then pressed to tank where they were settled for 1–2 days before being racked into 300 litre French oak barrels. The wine was inoculated for malolactic fermentation in Spring and the final wine selection made by identifying ferments and barrels from all the wines post malolactic fermentation. Aiming to produce an approachable wine with good intensity and depth, the final selection received 14% new oak. The wine was racked once to tank prior to the 2018 vintage and filtered prior to bottling in August 2018.

Food Pairing: This Pinot Noir is very versatile and great with lamb, venison and veal, and a large range of vegetable dishes especially mushrooms. It is also the perfect accompaniment to game birds such as quail, pheasant, turkey and duck.