Domain Road Bannockburn Pinot Noir 2017

The Wine:

Our Pinot Noir vines grow on two rare Bannockburn sites untouched by miners.  For almost 100 years fruit was grown on the Domain Road site, peaches, pears and apples originally and then apricots at a later stage. It has been said that if you can grow apricots then you can also grow great Pinot Noir and this has certainly been the case at Domain Road.  Our second vineyard, Defiance on Felton Road is considered to be one of the prime sites in this well known location.  Our Pinot Noir vines from these two sites deliver a complexity that reflect the unique location of the vineyards. 

The grapes were hand harvested between 28 March and 11th April 2017 from Domain Road and Defiance vineyards.  The fruit was predominantly de-stemmed (6% was whole bunch pressed) into tanks for fermentation before being transferred to French oak barriques (26% new) to age for ten months.

With dark purple hues, this wine is wonderfully complex. Fragrant lifted aromas of oak spice, smoky dried herbs, berry fruits and a touch of leather are complemented by sweet ripe blackberry and cherry with notes of leather and spice on the palate.  The front of the palate has rich dark fruits with black plum, ripe blackberry and vanilla in the finish with a hint of chocolate and spice.  A complex, concentrated wine with supple fine tannins and a long mineral finish.

Bob Campbell 95 points, Top Rank. 

Cameron Douglas MS: 94 points " Lovely Pinot Noir bouquet...complex but youthful....nice on the palate with a mix of wild red fruits, tart dark cherry and dried raspberry."

The Gold Rush Days
The now tiny settlement of Bannockburn was an important and bustling town during the gold rush of the 1860s. Domain Road Vineyard overlooks an historic area known as ‘The Sluicings’ (photo above) where stunning land formations are a legacy of the gold mining activity. This area can be explored either on foot or mountain bike, following the paths through the Department of Conservation reserve.

On the section of the vineyard land that was once mined for gold, the Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling grapes are thriving, while the Pinot Noir grows on land undisturbed by gold mining activity.  The historic rammed-earth gold miner’s cottage built during the 1880s has been restored and improved in recent years, returning it to a warm and comfortable family home.