We aim to have all wines be vintage specific. In the case the listed vintage is out of stock and you note you would like that particular vintage, we will inform you via email for approval to go ahead.
World Wine – Light, even ruby-red colour with slight garnet-purple hues, lighter on the rim. This has a softly concentrated and well-packed nose with aromas of savoury dark-red berry and black cherry fruit melded with dark herbs and notes of earth and black minerals, unveiling subtle and harmonious oak and whole bunch stalk detail. Medium-full bodied, the pal¬ate has a well-concentrated core of sweet dark-red and black berried fruit intermixed with dark herb and subtle whole bunch stalk elements, along with black mineral nuances. The extraction provides balanced, fine-gained tannins and the mouthfeel is enlivened by fresh, balancing, lacy acidity. This has a good line, leading to a lush, lively finish od red and black fruits and subtle herb notes. This is a moderately concentrated, sweet, dark-fruited Pinot Noir with moderately extracted, supple tannins and fresh acid¬ity. Match with poultry and pork dishes over the next 4-5 years 70% Abel clone and 30% clone 5, the fruit fermented with 26% whole bunches to 13.81% alc., the wine aged 10 months in 22% new French oak. 230 dozen made.
About This Wine
Intensely fragrant, with a lot of spice, herbs and earth complimenting the fruit that quietly dominates - some mineral notes release. This is clearly red, rather than black, cherry fruit and it’s powerful along with lovely subtle florals, anise and cinnamon scents that drift by.
There is an impressive depth of bouquet here with a lot of secondary character presenting: thyme, oregano, hits of smoked meats and dark rose florals. Layered and most elegant.
A subtle fruit entry builds into spice and complexity in the mouth. Very fine with wonderful interplay between the lacey acid and tannin. The texture and structure is quite latent, building with graphite and spice flavours emerging. Overall the lasting impression is of elegance and great delicacy with juicy acidity leaving a most satisfying mouth feel. Very good length of flavour and persistence.
This wine has had no finings and minimal filtration so a fine sediment may form during maturation. It should cellar well for 4 to 8 years.
Food – A couple of Quail and a Rabbit, on sticks, roasted over a brazier of vine cuttings using one of those French wind-up rotisserie things, accompanied by wild mushroom risotto - job done.
Type | Red Wine |
---|---|
Varietal(s) | Pinot Noir |
Country | New Zealand |
Region | Central Otago |
Brand | Akitu |
Vintage | 2015 |
Central Otago Wines
Central Otago is a unique wine region for New Zealand as it does not grow any of the country's famous Sauvignon Blanc but also unique globally for being the most southerly commercial wine region in the world. The region is famous for its fruity and full-bodied Pinot Noir with about ¾ of all vineyards in the region growing this grape variety. One of our favourite Pinot Noir regions here at World Wine.
Central Otago is the only region in New Zealand with a truly continental climate, with large daily and seasonal temperature extremes. At 300m in elevation, vineyards are protected from the cold ocean winds by high mountains reaching 3700m. The soils are also different to the rest of the country, with heavy deposits of rough-edged mica and other metamorphic schists in silt loams.
Historically, the subregion of Bannockburn has seen the most success. However, the region has seen significant growth in recent years and other sub regions are also flourishing.