Misha's Vineyard Impromptu Central Otago Pinot Noir 2013

Misha's Vineyard Impromptu Central Otago Pinot Noir 2013The fruit was chilled overnight before crushing the next day, typically as 3 5 tonne lots. The crushed fruit was then cold soaked for 5 to 7 days after which it was allowed to warm as the natural yeast ferment took place. Ferments were hand plunged 3 times per day. Cooling was used to ensure the ferments peaked below 32 deg C. The wine was then held warm (>20 deg C) post ferment to allow ongoing tannin integration. After an average of 24 days on skins

The fruit was chilled overnight before crushing the next day, typically as 3 – 5 tonne lots. The crushed fruit was then cold soaked for 5 to 7 days after which it was allowed to warm as the natural yeast ferment took place. Ferments were hand plunged 3 times per day. Cooling was used to ensure the ferments peaked below 32 deg C. The wine was then held warm (>20 deg C) post ferment to allow ongoing tannin integration. After an average of 24 days on skins the wines were then pressed to tank where they were settled for 1 – 2 days before being racked into 300 litre French oak barrels. The wine was inoculated for malolactic fermentation in spring and the final wine selection made by identifying ferments and barrels from all the wines post malolactic fermentation. Aiming to produce an earlier maturing style, the final selection received 18% new oak. The wine was racked once to tank prior to the 2014 vintage and filtered prior to bottling.

Pinot Noir is an extremely versatile food wine as it can pair well with either white or red meats, creamy sauces, and spicy seasonings. It’s also a wonderful match with sword fish or roast salmon. The classic Pinot Noir matches are with game birds, roasted red meats, mushrooms as well as mild and creamy cheese.

After a mild winter, the growing season started with a warm September but the rest of spring was cooler and wetter than usual and with spring winds unusually light. Fruit set occurred slightly later than normal then temperatures started increasing with some useful rain in early January. By mid-January conditions became hot and dry providing excellent growing conditions which continued to the end of the season. A slightly earlier harvest reflected the warmer temperatures resulting in 1108 Growing Degree Days (GDDs) for the season. Our Pinot Noir was hand-picked at between 4.4-6.7 tonnes per hectare. (Av. 5.6 t/ha).

Misha’s Vineyard is located on a spectacular site in New Zealand on the edge of Lake Dunstan in the Bendigo sub-region of Central Otago. The sun drenched north-west facing terraces of the 57 hectare estate provide optimal conditions for producing world-class Pinot Noir and aromatic white varieties. Our ‘no compromise’ philosophy requires exacting viticulture regimes, hand-picking, and considerate winemaking methodologies.