"Cranberry, cherry and a hint of rose on this bright nose wake-up aroma. The palate is wonderfully fresh Pinot with a satisfyingly crunchy acidity and delightful finesse. Long lasting, pure and polished Pinot." [The Wine Gang, UK]
|
|
 In The Bottle
Taut, yet poised, this medium bodied wine abounds with a wild berry perfume, truffle and liquorice. The palate slowly unveils layers of dry tannin that, due to balanced alcohol levels, leaves the palate with a savoury finish. It is a wine that relies on dry extract rather than searing cool climate acidity for structure.
|
|
The Site
Situated in the foothills of Gladstone District in the Wairarapa Province of New Zealand's North Island, The Centrefold Vineyard benefits from elevation and a clay soil with limestone sub-soils. Being a pioneering site means there are no other vineyards in the vicinity and therefore disease pressure is very low.
|
|
 Viticulture
A planting density of 10,000 vines per hectare ensured that the vines compete with each other for resources. The result is a "bonsai" effect on the vine; limited space for roots gives small vines with smaller leaves and, more importantly, smaller berries which increase dry extract levels (colour, tannin and flavour) in the resultant wine. Limestone rock was spread as a reflective mulch to offset the potential for inter-row shading.
This coupled with limited bud numbers, highly restricted yields, and fanatical attention to detail has produced highly concentrated fruit at moderate sugar levels.
|
|
 In The Cellar
Hand picking was pivotal to the quality and style of wine desired. The fruit was destemmed on site within minutes of harvest to secure vitality and freshness, before transport to the cellar.
Only grapes and Sulphur have been used in the production of this wine. The various forms of adulteration available to the conventional winemaker, such as; acid adjustment, extractive enzymes, extraneous tannins and a multitude of fining agents, we regard as an anathema to the production of real fine wine
No fining, minimal filtration and a screwcap closure ensure that the unique characters of this wine are retained and the often detrimental effects of cork are avoided.
NOTE: This page is in our 'Archive Wine' section. For current wines use the links at the page top.
|
|
