Sandihurst Waipara NZ Pinot Noir 2008
STUNNING NEW ZEALAND PINOT NOIR WELL BELOW 1/2 PRICE! SAVE $276 A DOZEN.
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DESCRIPTION
Award Winner Air NZ Wine Awards equal pointed with some of New Zealands finest Pinots many $60+ a bottle.
This is a super example of quality NZ Pinot Noir and is equal in stature to its predecessor the '07 vintage which was rated 5 Stars by Cuisine Magazine and rated as one of the Top 10 NZ Pinot Noirs.
Sandihurst's Pinot Noirs have also been favoured by reviewers the world over – the 2006 vintage was among the top 20 Pinot Noirs selected by Decanter in the UK in 2008, also winning the Liquorland Top 100 Gold in 2008. Their 2007 Central Otago Pinot Noir was also awarded a Gold Medal at the International Wine Challenge in 2009 – chosen from 9,600 wines from 36 countries.
Previous vintage review.. (This is as good .. Believe me !!)
"Sandihurst is on the Canterbury Plains, but its best Pinots are made with grapes grown elsewhere, in this case Waipara. This suave, virile expression has great flavour complexity and would make any duck meal memorable."
5 Stars (Outstanding) Cuisine Magazine
"Waipara, New Zealand's Most Exciting Wine Region.New Zealand's most exciting wine region, for me, is the Waipara. Only 40 minutes drive north of Christchurch and you are in a very dynamic region where Pinot Noir dominates. The earthy tones and very pretty red fruit place it between Central Otago and Martinborough in style but, most of the wines I have tried, seem to have a sense of place."
Jayson Bryant. NZ Wine Reviews.
This wine has all the classic characteristics of classic NZ Pinot Noir. Delicate and feminine in aroma and colour yet with a strong palate weight and texture complimented superbly silky tannins hints of mushroom and oak in supporting roles. Aromas of red berry fruits and dominate the nose. The palate shows again the berry fruit component but also with balanced weight, soft tannins and hints of spice and oak towards the long finish of the wine.
Classic Pinot Noir, delicate and feminine in aroma and colour yet strong palate weight. Aromas of red berry fruits and hint of mushroom on the nose with the berry characteristics crying through to the palate. Soft tannins and a lingering finish.
Cool Climate wine making on a seriously cool scale! Being blessed with the ideal conditions in which to create exquisite wines is only part of what makes Sandihurst Winery of Christchurch, New Zealand, an international award-winners.
With experience in Germany at the Weingut Lingenfelder in the Pfalz region Kirk returned to New Zealand to make wines for Sandihurst.
“The bony soils at the western end of the Waipara Valley are an aromatic wine growing paradise.” he says. “My focus is to produce single vineyard wines with a firm focus on balance, texture, elegance and food friendliness. The process is completely hands-on with myself doing as much of the work as possible. I like to say that they are totally handcrafted from grape to glass.” Kirk Bray Winemaker.
As well as a genuine love of wine, talent, tenaciousness and the investment of great care in every facet of the wine making, it takes extreme personal sacrifice – over the years and with barely a thought for ourselves we have tirelessly sampled wine after delicious wine, and all in the name of research. A selfless journey of discovery so that we might one day bring you our acclaimed varietals, and such that you might experience the pure joy thereof.
The fruit was 100% de stemmed, without crushing, into small 1.5 tonne open-top fermenters. Following a 4-6 day period of ambient maceration the juice began to ferment using only the natural yeasts of the vineyard. Fermentation temperatures peaked at 30C. During fermentation the skins were hand plunged up to 5 times a day during ferment. Post ferment the wine was left in contact with the skins until the desired level of tannin extraction was reached. Total cuvaison time was 32 days on average. The wine was then pressed with the press and free-run portions being kept separate. New oak was limited to 20%. The wine underwent an inoculated Malolactic fermentation followed by a further 10 months of maturation undisturbed before being racked, blended and bottled.
A very good growing season. Excellent conditions during flowering resulted in excellent fruit set. Bunch weights were above average resulting in large crop loads. On the whole, good conditions right through until harvest with no major disease or harvest timing issues.
All fruit for this wine was hand harvested. As Pinot Noir is a delicate variety, extensive viticultural practices are employed to maximise the potential of the fruit.
Winemaker - Kirk Bray
Region: WAIPARA NZ
BOTTLE TOPS: FOIL OVER CORK
ALCOHOL CONTENT: 13.6%