Lowburn Ferry

AWARDS

88 Points - Robert Parker - Erin Larkin

The 2022 Pinot Noir leads with soft-leaf green herbs, sweet roasted beets, black cherries and raspberry. In the mouth, the wine is full of flavor and tannin and makes for a powerful, impactful experience. The wine is quite savory and quite ripe-tasting, leaning into dried fig, roasted game and cocoa powder through the finish. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

ABOUT

Season Summary

A La Niña weather pattern brought a warmer and drier season to Central Otago than the previous year of 2021. Warm nights through until April resulted in perfectly ripe, high-quality fruit. Veraison took place at the beginning of February and harvest commenced in April.

Viticulture

Predominantly from the original Lowburn Ferry vineyard in the Lowburn subregion. Originally planted in 2000 on a gentle, north facing slope with a mix of clones and new plantings of high density Pinot Noir planted on lower terraces in 2018-2020. Soils are predominantly loess over deep silts that have developed pedogenic lime deposits. Vertical shoot positioned (VSP) trained vines planted at 3,000 - 9,000 vines/ha. Biogro certified.

Harvested 2nd to 15th April 2022.

Tasting Note

Bright ruby hue. Complex red fruits,with lifted florals and savoury, meaty notes. Fine dense structure, with crunchy red fruits and savoury, earthy, meaty undertones. A young wine with elegance, but density of fruit, quite compact and long. It is sure to age gracefully.

Winemaking

Multiple clones hand-sorted and gravity tipped into concrete and oak open top fermenters. Gently destemmed, uninoculated ferment. The cap is wet once a day with a small amount of wine and plunged once during the peak of the ferment. Total time on skins of 18-22 days. Aged 12 months in barrel followed by 9 months in concrete and wooden cuves. Unfined.