Awards, Ratings & Reviews
Falstaff (93 / 100)
2017 Vintage | Tasted: Jan 2021
"Dark crimson garnet, purple reflections, black forest fruit, a hint of black tea, dried flower petals, some liquorice. Complex, juicy, ripe plum, dark cherry, integrated ripe tannins, fine fruit on the finish, persistent, mineral-salty on the finish, has length and maturity, definite ageing potential."
Wine Spectator (93 / 100)
2017 Vintage | Tasted: Oct 2021
New Zealand Wine Rater (90 / 100)
2017 Vintage | Tasted: Jan 2021
"This is a real statement wine and while it has plent y of character and power, and seems built for the long haul both judges questioned whether it showed any 'pinosity' as it comes across as a fairly generic, modern red wine. It has an intense nose with aromas of toasty, barrel char, pencil shavings, and complex sulphides. It's a strapping, extractive wine with weighty, chewy tannins and lots of oak-derived flavours... fans of the style may love it, while we questioned its charm and level of drink-ability."
Jancis Robinson (17 / 20)
2017 Vintage | Tasted: Aug 2021 | When to drink: 2020 to 2030
About This Wine
Te WÄhi means āthe placeā in te reo MÄori, reflecting both the importance of terroir and the sense of finding a second home. It is a powerful wine with an opulent core of dark berry fruit and structured tannins. Over time, warm spices and notes of forest floor flourish and provide complexity.
Vineyard Notes
Te WÄhi is a true Central Otago Pinot Noir, created from the fruit of two contrasting vineyards: Northburn and Calvert. Northburn sits on the steep, hilly east bank of Lake Dunstan. The vines here spread across terraces of unforgiving, rocky, glacial soils. Helped by large diurnal shifts of warm days and cool nights, these soils produce fruit of great structure and intensity. Calvert, on Felton Road in Bannockburn, sits in the silty, loamy soils and rolling terrain of an ancient lakebed. Calvert produces opulent, elegant fruit. These complementary vineyards work together to deliver a beautifully balanced wine.
Vintage & Winemaking
The 2017 growing season began with ideal spring conditions and warm temperatures, however cooler weather over flowering led to a naturally reduced crop and smaller bunches. The grapes were handpicked between the 3rd and 27th April.
The grapes were predominantly de-stemmed into open top fermenters, with 15% whole bunch inclusion. There, the grapes underwent a five-day cold soak before the start of wild yeast fermentation. The cap management consisted of plunging between one and four times daily. Total skin contact time ranged from seventeen to twenty-five days.
Ageing
After twelve months barrel-aging in French oak barriques (30% new), the wine was bottled on 3rd of July 2018. It was released on July 1st 2019, after twelve months of additional bottle aging in the Cellar.
Tasting Notes
Nose
Filled with dusky bramble, wild strawberry notes and hints of violets.
Palate
Delivers an elegant core of concentrated damson and hedgerow fruit, underpinned by dense tannins and a vibrant freshness.
Specifications
- Vintage: 2017
- Grape Variety: Pinot Noir
- Region: Central Otago / New Zealand
- Maturation: 12 months in French oak barriques (30% new)
- Oak Type: French
- Vineyard / Geo info: Northburn and Calvert
- Ownership: LVMH
- Closure: Cork
- Drinking Window: 2020ā2030
