(sold out)
Tasting description
This complex Pinot Noir presents a clear, bright garnet colour with crimson hue at the edge. The nose is subtle, showing a mixture of bramble and plum aromas, a touch of aromatic oak and a floral rose-like character. On the palate, the wine is very bright and lifted with a lovely lightness, brambly fruit, backed by dry earth with fragrant oak and a long finish. This young wine will develop beautifully over the next three to five years.
Winemaking
The fruit for this Pinot Noir was destemmed and gravity fed to tank, where it was cold soaked for ten days. Then all clones were combined for a fast ferment, during which it was plunged twice a day. After ten days of post-ferment maceration, the grapes were pressed, with free run and pressings combined. The wine was then fermented in French oaks barrels, 30% of which were new, for 11 months.
Analysis at bottling: Alcohol 12.5% TA = 1.5 g/L RS = 6.2 g/L pH = 3.6
Vintage
Our first Cheviot Hills vintage, 2007, was a great one for Pinot Noir vines/grapes. After a good growing season, the vintage was warm and dry during the day and cool at night. We shoot thinned the vines before flowering and leaf plucked later to allow some fruit exposure, while retaining a layer of leaves over the fruit to protect them from direct sunlight and maintain aromatic intensity. Continuing warm weather allowed us to hand pick the fruit in excellent condition.
Hand harvesting took place on 5th and 10th April.
Food match
Mt Beautiful Pinot Noir 2007 works wonderfully with rare roast beef, rabbit and rarebit.
REVIEWS FOR THIS WINE
New producer from picturesque Cheviot Hills in North Canterbury. A stunning debut. Brambly fruit, dry earth, fragrant oak and a long finish. Great with rare roast beef.
John Hawkesby, Next, 31 Mar 2009
A new wine, from the new wine-growing region of the Cheviot Hills in North Canterbury. Situated between Waipara and Marlborough, if the inaugural release is anything to go by, this may well prove a region to watch. Light and tangy, its first pinot noir layers earthy notes with bramble and cherry fruit over nuances of milk chocolate and spice.
Jo Burzynska, NZ Herald Viva, 14 Jan 2009
A powerful, silky and utterly luscious wine. Very fruity - plenty of
plum and late cherry flavour teamed with ripe tannins and a dash of
cocoa. The taste is sweet and ripe but the finish is drying – right
where it counts. There’s a herbal taste running across the palate, this
becomes more obvious at the finish and on the aftertaste. This
medium-bodied wine has a drying, soft tannic finish and some cherry
flavour to round things out. A well-crafted pinot that makes good buying
at $32.95.
Deborah Walton & Peter Morice, Marlborough Express, 27 Nov 2008
Impressive for a baby. Way too young but already showing a brambly fine
oak texture and hints of ripe fruit interest in the mid-palate. Not a
hint of unripeness. It’s impossible to know whether this wine is
destined to age either into an austere charming old lady or into a more
substantial and voluptuous wine.
Barnett Bond, NZ Doctor, 19 Nov 2008
A clear, bright garnet colour with a soft crimson hue. It has complex
aromas of plum, ripe cherry, nutmeg and cinnamon with hints of floral
and savoury notes. I found the palate to be a rich assortment of
flavours, with the most notable being plum. It is an easy drinking wine
with good balance and a long silky and consistent finish.
Stephen Clark, The Weekly Wine, 17 Nov 2008
Full-bodied and savoury, with a very satisfying depth of plummy,
slightly earthy flavours, complex, rich and rounded.
Michael Cooper, NZ Listener, 8 Nov 2008
It’s an easy-drinking wine, with oodles of red plums and a clean finish.
Charmian Smith, Otago Daily Times, 5 Nov 2008
Intense nose with tertiary aromas redolent of ripe strawberries and
subtly oaked. The palate is gentle, charming and evolved, typically
varietal, with delicate dry flavours, supple and silky, medium-light
weight and a fairly high level of acidity giving a tangy, fresh finish.
Silver Award (Best in class) - IWSC 2009
International Wine & Spirit Competition 2009, 15 Oct 2008
Shows the site has real potential for this grape. The nose has good
pinosity with sweet strawberry shortbread, plum and wildflowers, while
the palate is bright, crisp and exuberant.
Nick Bryant, The Independent Financial Review, 9 Oct 2008
Silver Medal - NZIWS 2008
New Zealand International Wine Show 2008, 27 Sep 2008
Savoury aromatics and a lovely silky, lightly grainy texture, lives up
to its name and leaves a sweet, lingering aftertaste.
Sue Courtney, Wine of the Week, 2 Sep 2008
Other Vintages
Mt Beautiful Cheviot Hills Pinot Noir 2009 (currently available)
Mt Beautiful Cheviot Hills Pinot Noir 2008 (on allocation)