Neck of the Woods Pinot Noir

From Bendigo in Central Otago, this is a prime example of why South Island Pinots from New Zealand are consistently winning fans and awards.

From the winery: Aromas of plum, dark cherry, red licorice and rosemary on the nose with the addition of raspberry and cassis on the palate. This sexy, understated wine exudes elegance with persistent bright red fruit, fine tannins and enduring freshness. The athletic frame speaks of its “classic” Bendigo origins, yet it’s supple and graceful side show a character less often found in the sub-region. It’s class in a glass!

The hand harvested fruit was picked from each vineyard at optimal ripeness which occurred on average one month earlier than normal in 2018.

The lower (warmer) site was harvested first with the two clones co-fermented in one vessel with 20% whole clusters.

The terraced site came a week or so later and was fermented in 2 vessels with 15-25% whole clusters. Including fermentation of about seven days, the average time on skins was 25 days. All three ferments were pressed to 2bar with no press cuts and were settled over night before going to barrel.

The wine underwent full malolactic fermentation and was aged in fine grain french oak barrels (28% new) for around 11 months before all components were blended in preparation for bottling.

About the winemaker: Neck of the Woods are lucky enough to call Jen Parr their leading lady/winemaker. An Oregon native and graduate of Stanford University, Jen has called Central Otago home since 2007 and she became a NZ citizen in 2013.

She has extensive international winemaking experience including in the USA, France, South Africa and Australia in addition to 17harvests in NZ.

Jen has been a Winemaker in Otago since 2007. In 2018 she was awarded the Winemaker of the Year at the NZ International Aromatic Competition and was nominated as one of six finalists for the Gourmet Traveler Magazine NZ Winemaker of the Year in 2019 for her work with Valli.