Owned by the Neylon family, Rapaura Springs has an astonishing track record of Trophies and top points for its wines. The family started their farming career with mussels and apples but found vines much more rewarding and since making this move haven’t looked back. Their goal is to enhance the environment around them through sustainable vineyard and winemaking practices that will leave a natural legacy for future generations. Rapaura Springs have a philosophy of minimum intervention, and all vineyards are carefully managed under strict Sustainable Wine Growing New Zealand standards. They let Marlborough’s land, climate and water do the hard work, then handcraft superb wines at the state of the art winery, leaving the vineyards to tell their own story, with just a little nudge in the right direction from experienced viticulture and winemaking teams. The result is a selection of focused, terroir-driven Sauvignon Blancs and Pinot Noirs with outstanding varietal expression.
The Pinot Noir grapes used in this wine were sourced from select premium vineyards within the Marlborough region. Small parcels of quality fruit were harvested over a number of days from four individual vineyards in four separate sub-regions of Marlborough. Fruit was picked when optimum levels of ripeness and flavour were achieved.
A combination of both traditional and New World winemaking was used in the making of this Reserve Marlborough Pinot Noir. The fruit was cold soaked for 3-5 days followed by fermentation in open top tanks. Plunging of the cap allowed for gentle tannin extraction and colour development. Some parcels were allowed to macerate for 2-5 days before pressing off into a selection of new and seasoned French and Hungarian barriques and stainless steel for 15 months.
A challenging vintage (both the growing season but also the 7.8 Magnitude earthquake that hit on 14th November), which yielded a smaller crop than predicted. The grapes were hand picked late March to early April 2013.
Dark plum, black cherry and black olive tapenade with complexing mushroom and fresh sage combined with vanilla pod oak. The palate is rich in dark fruits, fresh strawberries and cassis. The tannins are poised and silky and finishes with notes of dried herbs and cedar.
Enjoy with Grilled Venison Medallions and Mushroom and Tomato Bordelaise sauce or a Beetroot and Goats Cheese Tart.
Best served at 15-16°C
91 points / 4.5 Stars – Sam Kim, Wine Orbit
4 Stars – Raymond Chan Wine Reviews
Marlborough, New Zealand
100% Pinot Noir
Screwcap
13.5%
0.7g/l
5.9g/l
No
No
