This is an expansively rich and succulent Pinot Noir with dark red berry and plum flavours [...] plenty of fine-grained structure and acid vitality.
Raymond Chan
Thomas Brothers’ Pinot Noir, Greystone
First produced in 2011, this is Greystone's flagship Pinot Noir, named after the Thomas family who own the estate.
On the nose you will discover complexity driven by the estate's signature flavours: ripe dark fruit, earthiness, and baking spices. On the palate there is an expansion of flavour which is carried by long fine-grained tannins and poised acidity borne from Greystone's highest limestone block. Expect concentration, layers and length and a wine that will age gracefully over the next 10 years.
Technical analysis
ALCOHOL
14.5 %
pH
3.73
ACIDITY
6.8 g/L
ORIGIN
New Zealand
WINEMAKER
Dom Maxwell
VARIETY
Pinot Noir
HARVEST DATE
April 2016
TIME IN OAK
15 months
MALOLACTIC FERMENTATION
Yes
CLOSURE
Screw top
BOTTLE SIZE
75cl
REGION
North Canterbury
VEGETARIAN
Yes
VEGAN
Yes
Vintage conditions
An early start to the growing season with mild spring conditions encouraged good growth and excellent flowering. Unaffected by frost due to its 130m altitude, this block sits northward on a shallow bed of high organic matter over young fragmented limestone. The vines experienced a dry growing season that extended into the harvest period, providing even ripening and a dream picking window for balanced fruit. Made exclusively from low yielding clone 5 and 115 vines, they produced small, open bunches.
Vinification details
Hand-picked and hand-sorted, Greystone ferment naturally using wild yeast, partly with whole bunches and partly destemmed whole berries. The young wine was left on skins and gently hand-plunged daily for one month before being racked to French oak barrels, 50% new, where it matured for 15 months without intervention. Minimal handling ensures fine-grained tannins are integrated into the fruit profile of the wine. Bottled onsite without fining, filtration or cold stabilisation.
Awards
Raymond Chan: 19.5
Bob Campbell MW: 96 pts
Green credentials
Member of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand. Estate vineyards are managed organically.
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