Mid Hill Pinot Noir 2016

The nose shows deep dark fruit aromas, with notes of wild thyme, violets and liquorice. The palate has great fruit density and a line of acidity that provides structure and balance. Chalky tannins frame great concentration of fruit and a fantastic long finish. This wine shows excellent ageing potential of 10+ years.

By applying the old-world winegrowing adage that the greatest wines are grown in the middle of the slope, the Mid Hill Pinot Noir range was conceived. The middle of a slope has the ideal aspect to the sun and ideally balanced soils while the top of the slope is too steep and thinly soiled. The bottom of the slope is often too flat and heavily soiled.

We applied this winegrowing maxim to our Trig Hill Vineyard in Bendigo, Central Otago where the Mid and Hill blocks within Trig Hill perfectly fit these criteria. We have selected 10 rows of the Dijon 115, 777 and Abel clones from these two blocks which are meticulously managed to achieve quality for the Mid Hill Pinot Noir.

The grapes are hand harvested to small picking bins and delivered to the winery in perfect condition. The berries are put over the sorting table to ensure nothing, but perfect fruit is processed. Simple, traditional winemaking techniques are employed including natural fermentation and maturation in top quality French oak to preserve the inherent qualities of the fruit.