“This is really, really good. Youthful yet complex and engaging on the nose, it displays dark cherry, game, floral and subtle earthy mushroom characters. The palate is concentrated, although not heavy, showing velvety texture and fine, chalky tannins providing a lovely firm finish. The wine is pristine and stunning, but it will be so much better in a few years. At its best: 2012 to 2020. 5 stars, 95 points” 493 cases produced.
Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, May 2009
This 09 is a lovely dusty velvet colour, but Pinot Noir is all about the nose. 
A swirl in the glass brings forth notes of sweet violets, layers of fruits, chocolate, coffee, and lavender with hints of fine spices; brambles and undergrowth characters summon up distant memories of forgotten summers.
The wine is seamless and round with that pinot earthy “savouryness” flowing through the palate. Hints of liquorices with a minerality not linked to acidity. The overall effect is one of sweet ripe fruit wrapped with delicate tannins and subtle oak.
Technical
2009 produced small berries and extremely low yields. Excellent tannin ripeness for sugar levels. A small but potentially excellent vintage.
Grapes were hand harvested from the Home Vineyard and Pomona with this years blend coming from 62% old vine 10/5 from Pomona, 38% mixed clones 10/5, 22 and Burgundy clones.
Picked from 5/4/09 to 14/4/09 with around 24.2 Brix, 3.22 pH and 6.7 gL Acidity.
All fruit was chilled, carefully sorted, destemmed and cold macerated prior to indigenous yeast fermentation in small batch fermenters. Temperatures reached around 32C. The wine spent extra time on skins – around 25 days – to optimize tannin extraction. The wine was put into French Oak barrels (26% new) from a variety of Burgundy coopers to add complexity. In spring the wine went through a complete malo-lactic fermentation and the wine was in barrel for 12 months prior to a gentle racking.
The wine was bottled without fining or filtration on 9/7/10 at 3.7pH, 5.0gL Total Acidity, Dry, 14% alc.
“Neudorf’s exceptional contribution to the New Zealand Pinot map is backed up by a distinguished line of elegant Pinots produced across three decades.” John Saker, The New Zealand Pinot Noir Story
493 cases produced
Tasting Notes: Download PDF
 |
