Our Wine.
Petina Petillant Naturel Pinot Noir 2023
The 2023 vintage of Petina is more poised and chasing a methodé traditional style. A little more precision resulted in a little more focus. Barrel ferment until desired residual sugar is achieved. Racked by gravity to bottle. The wine then sits on lees in bottle going through autolysis to build the body and direct the flavour profile. The wine is then riddled and disgorged to remove the sediment. Clear. Clean.
Raspberry cheesecake. Aperol. Yogurt. Sea mist. A c i d. Mouthfilling.
Swell Petillant Naturel Sauvignon Blanc 2023
2023 saw the return of one of our favourite cuvée’s. After a brief hiatus owing to low yields. Whole bunch pressed and settled overnight. Barrel ferment until desired residual sugar is achieved. Racked by gravity to bottle. The wine then sits on lees in bottle going through autolysis to build the body and direct the flavour profile. The wine is then riddled and disgorged to remove the sediment. Clear. Clean.
Salty. Lemon/lime. Direct. Yogurt. Gripping acidity. Fresh. Clean. Salivating
Still Life Sauvignon Blanc 2022
Picked with tropicality and acidity in mind, the balance works harmoniously. Barrel ferment, aged on lees for a further 10 months. Racked by gravity in January. Wine is completely clear and clean at this point. I then settle out the lees and amalgamate a portion to build complexity and texture to the palette. No skin contact. Bloody delicious. Bottled February 2023.
Salty af. Pineapple. Guava. Overripe Lemon/Lime. Brioche. Salivating acid. Texture.
Svelte Riesling 2023
A nod to winemaker James Graves Opie's love of textural Germanic Riesling. This was harvested ripe with a tiny amount of botrytis to balance its natural acidity. Once harvested, the grapes were briefly soaked (24hr skin soak) to develop texture and palate weight, before being pressed into tank. Once settled the juice was transferred into aged large format French oak and aged sur lie until the following year. The result is a wine with Riesling's hallmark citrus and grapefruit hues, but with lovely touches of juniper, candied apple and sea spray alongside.
In a nutshell; a dry, textural Riesling but with complexity. Drinks all too well.
Citrus, Lively, Saline, and Untamed.
Pinots 2023
Banks Peninsula and North Canterbury. Pinot Blanc + Pinot Noir.
Pinot Blanc from the Bentwood Vineyard grown atop volcanic soils in Banks Peninsula.
The majority of this wine is Pinot Blanc made to echo Chardonnay, the late addition of 25% early picked direct press blanc de noir rose from the Barbour Vineyard on the slopes of North Canterbury steered the wine toward a more delicate and lively wine mirroring a Coteaux Champenois. All barrel fermented with minimal battonage. 6 Months in oak.
White peach, strawberry, coconut and lifted white floral aromas with soft acidity and persistent minerality.
Ernest Pinot Noir 2022
Able clone. The basis of this wine is the synergy between alcoholic and carbonic fermentation. Carbonic fermentation (think Beaujolias) achieves the lifted aromas of maraschino cherry, clove. The synergy creates a lovely silky, supple texture. 10% foot crush, 20% destemmed, 70% whole bunch. Basket pressed. Bottled February 2023.
Mineral. Cherry. Sweet salty liquorice. Raspberry. Soft tannin. Brooding.
Fredrick Pinot Noir 2021
Clone 5. Infusion ferment. Zero pigeage. 2 stainless steel vessels. 28 days ferment. 1 week post maceration. 60% whole bunch. Mid palate tension focuses an enveloping brooding wave of dark red fruits and spice supported by fine terracotta tannins. Basket pressed. Bottled February 2022.
Mineral. Smokey. Blackberry. Raspberry. Ripe stems. Baking
Yonda Red Field Blend 2022
A light daily pump over with as little extraction as possible but still insuring freshness and vibrancy on the palate. Two weeks post ferment maceration to soften and lengthen the tannin. Basket Pressed. With some juicy and riper Riesling to round out the pallet before being put to barrel until January. Bottled February 2023.
Blackberry. Tamarillo. Violet. Aniseed. Soft.
Brambles Rose NV
Pinot Noir + Syrah + Riesling. The majority of this wine is made from the Luxston Vineyard in the Eyrewell Forest, Oxford. A cool, low yielding site that sits atop Lismore silt loam. 80% of the wine is 2023 vintage Pinot Noir, partially direct pressed and partially carbonic and raised on full lees in seasoned oak barrels. 20% of the wine is 2022 Syrah/Riesling blend from North Canterbury. The result is a wine with all the hallmarks of a soft and mineral Pinot Noir rose but with a sweet blackberry tart complexity from the rhythm guitar of syrah. Made for slurping, not sipping.
Brambles Orange 2023
A field blend of Pinot Blanc from the Bentwood Vineyard and Pinot Gris from the neighboring Cross Hares vineyard. Picked on the same day.
Whole bunch Pinot Gris placed gently in amphora with direct press Pinot Blanc pressed atop. Fermented on skins in amphora for 6 months. The wine was then settled and blended with a puncheon of pinot blanc.
Apricot yoghurt, soft chalky tannin, crystallized ginger, peach ice tea salivating acidity.
Brambles Red Field Blend 2022
A riff on the original 2020 Brambles. The heart of the cuvee is carbonically fermented syrah with rizza pressed atop once fermentation had commenced. 500L amphora syrah/riz blend + 3ish barrels of syrah/riz + a puncheon of direct press Riesling.
Bright. Moreish. Salty. Brambles. Guava. Raspberry. Unabridged.