Mature Vine Pinot Noir 2017

Rippon Estate is one of Central Otago 's most breathtaking sites. For over a century, the Mills family have farmed this little slice of paradise on the shores of Lake Wanaka. Nick Mills is the 4th generation of his family to walk the Rippon estate, and now farms the site using biodynamic principles.

This is a blend of all the old Pinot Noir vines growing at Rippon Estate. The sun's rays reflect off the lake water and illuminate the vineyards set on the slopes of the Wanaka Mountain Range. The Pinot Noir vines, located at 330 metres above sea level, draw deep from the soils rich in quartz, clay and pebbles. The harvest is manual and meticulous. Some of the grapes are destemmed and the rest are not. Fermentation takes place thanks to the indigenous yeasts present on the grapes. Then, the wine is aged in French oak barrels for 16 months, on fine lees. Bottling was done without filtration. This wine develops aromas of violet , blueberry , blackberry , red and black cherry, fragrant black pepper , graphite , dried herbs and black olive . The wine is elegant and silky, with fine tannins, a well-present substance and a racy mineral structure. A great Pinot Noir from New Zealand.

Introduced in 1819, vine growing was greatly developed by Jean-Baptiste Pompallier, a French Marist missionary. Sent to Oceania in 1837, he settled there from January 1838 onwards to develop New Zealand's vineyards. The first quality vineyards were established in the Hawke's Bay region in the 19th and early 20th centuries. After setbacks caused first by phylloxera and then by the First World War, the vineyards began to expand again during the Second World War, when their area doubled. Today, New Zealand has 10 main wine regions spread across the North and South Islands, the largest of which is Marlborough. Most of New Zealand's wine regions have a maritime climate. The country's long, narrow shape means that vineyards are never more than 120 km from the coast, and most are much closer than that (with the exception of the semi-continental Central Otago region). A spine of mountains running down the centre of the country shields most of the main wine regions from the strong westerly winds off the Tasman Sea known as the "Roaring Forties". Because of these winds, there are few wine regions on New Zealand's west coast. The quality and reputation of New Zealand wines are well established. Indeed, the country produces some of the best and most renowned Sauvignon Blanc in the world. And it is no coincidence that New Zealand has made Sauvignon Blanc its emblem, just like its sheep, its kiwis and its legendary haka!