Aotea Nelson Pinot Noir 2021

Silver - The Global Pinot Noir Masters 2023, UK
Silver - The New Zealand International Wine Show 2023
4 Stars - Cuisine Magazine 2024

Vineyard: Seifried Rabbit Island vineyard
Date of Harvest: Mid-late March 2021
pH of Wine: 3.51
T.A of Wine: 5.8g/L
Residual Sugar: dry <1g/L
Suitable for Vegetarians and Vegans: Yes

Our Rabbit Island vineyard is situated on a wide river flat. The soil is gravelly sandy loam which is very free-draining. This vineyard is about 1.5 km from the sea, which helps moderate temperatures. The soils help us to restrict plant vigour and to crop at low levels. To further enhance the aromatics we removed leaves to allow light penetration and air movement around the fruiting zone.

The Aotea by the Seifried Family Nelson Pinot Noir 2021 is a barrel selection of wine that our winemakers consider the best Pinot Noir from the 2021 vintage. The grapes were picked in March at their peak of ripeness and then promptly de-stemmed and transferred to open-top fermenters. A two day cold-maceration period preceded inoculation for fermentation. Hand plunging was carried out two times a day during the ten day primary fermentation, then the wine was drained from ferment. After pressing, the young wine was drained into French barriques where it underwent malolactic fermentation and ageing. The wine was blended and bottled in June 2022.