Loveblock Central Otago Pinot Noir 2021

The Pinot Noir grapes come from their family-owned ‘Someone’s Darling’ vineyard on the Bendigo Loop Road in Central Otago. This vineyard has since been placed in conversion to organics (March 2022). This is a delicious Pinot Noir, with fleshy black plum, layers of cherry and sweet berries that play on the palate and dance with hints of violet and savoury notes. Drink now or cellar for up to 10 years. Grown with love, made with care.

Vineyard Notes

The Pinot Noir grapes come from their family-owned ‘Someone’s Darling’ vineyard on the Bendigo Loop Road in Central Otago. This vineyard has since been placed in conversion to organics (March 2022). Here, the soil type is free-draining sandy loam over schist alluvium gravels known as Molyneux soils. The clones planted in these soils are B777, B667, B115, Clone 5 (Pommard) and Abel. The vineyard is entirely cane pruned to two canes, with the wire being approximately half full. The Dijon clones give the wine nice floral notes, while Abel and Pommard provide structure. 10% of the fruit for this wine also came from the Loveblock Farm in Marlborough, enhancing the red fruit flavours in the finished wine.

Vinification

Once the grapes entered the required flavour profile, they were machine harvested with a destemming harvester in April in the early hours of the morning and transported to the winery. At the winery, the fruit was pumped straight to the tank, without crushing, in order to leave some whole berries. After a five-day cold soak, the must was warmed to 20°C and fermentation commenced on its own wild yeast. The ferment was hand plunged twice daily until dry when it was pressed off. The wine then underwent full malolactic fermentation in tank. A portion of the wine was aged on oak. After eight months of maturation, the wine was stabilised, sterile filtered and bottled.

Cameron Douglas MS: 94 Points

NZ Wine Rater: 92 Points

Tasting Panel: 93 Points

Wine Spectator: 93 Points