PALLISER ESTATE PINOT NOIR

Tasting notes:

Light ruby-red colour with some depth and purple hues on the edge.

The nose is rounded and gently full with good depth of fragrant red cherry and berry fruit along with subtle notes of fresh herbs, red florals, spices and a little nutty oak. This has a good array of aromatics.

Medium-bodied, the palate is elegant with finely concentrated and taut flavours of red cherry and berry fruit entwined with fresh herbs and an amalgam of red florals and spicy oak. The fruit shows well on the front palate and is enlivened by crisp acidity with light, supple tannin extraction providing support and forming a round, soft core and line. The flavours recede a little as the wine carries to a light, nuanced finish of cherries, herbs and spices. This is an elegant, up-front, fragrant and pretty Pinot Noir with red berry fruits, florals, herbs and spices on a supple, refreshing palate.

About the wine:

Clones 115, 667, 777 and Abel, 68% of the fruit from ‘Wharekauhau’, the remainder from ‘East Base’, ‘Clouston’, and ‘Townsend’ sites, vines on average 18 y.o., indigenous yeast fermented with minimal whole clusters to 13.1% alc., the wine aged 10 months in 27% new oak

About the producer:

Pioneers and part of New Zealand’s wine-growing heritage, Palliser estate harvested their first grapes in 1989 and started exporting in 1991. Ever since they have won world-wide recognition for the consistency and outstanding quality of their wines, picking up a whole string of competition gold medals (eighty to date) along the way, not to mention the accolade of being voted Exporter of the Year by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.

To capitalise on the fabulous terroir here, the sun-baked terrace, the old river plain and loamy free-draining soil, the estate has a highly-skilled winemaker/viticulturist in Allan Johnson who has been with Palliser since 1991. This dual role allows him to have complete control of the wine-producing process from grape to bottle. The philosophy here is to work towards high quality fruit and produce wines of elegance and a sense of place, in as environmentally friendly a way as possible. The success of their wine-producing policy gained recognition in 1998 when they one of the first three wineries in the world to be certified to International Environmental Standard ISO 14001.

Food match:

A real all-rounder. Try it with roast meats, firm fish such as tuna and swordfish or spicy Asian dishes.