Bald Hills, Bannockburn, Central Otago

Bald Hills Pinot Noir (2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005)

 

Bald Hills Central Otago “3 ACRES” Pinot Noir 2009

Tasting Note:

The 2009 “3 ACRES” Pinot Noir, hand-picked in April 2009, was vinified with precisely the same attention to detail and use of new French Oak as the “Single Vineyard” Pinot Noir from Bald Hills.  The barrel selection which makes up this wine is representative of a full clonal selection, although predominantly clones 5 and 6.

Food Match:

Bright, clean and uncomplicated, this wine is very versatile.  It is a great accompaniment to both luncheon and dinner dishes such as soups, salad, chicken, cheese, fish and meats.  Try it with Caesar Salad or a Pork Terrine.

Viticulture and Winemaking:

Vines are trained to VSP and are both spur pruned and cane pruned, depending on exposure to wind.  Two bunches maximum per shoot where shoots are strong, one bunch on weaker shoots. Sorting is a continuous process to ensure fruit used is fully ripe and undamaged.

Fruit is cold soaked, 30% whole bunch.  Primary fermentation completed in eight days, during which time ferment is plunged by hand up to four times daily. After one week the wine is pressed gently and transferred to French Oak barrels, 35% new, where it remains for almost eleven months before bottling. Coarse filtration.

Technical Notes:

• Picked mid-April 2009
• Brix 22.8
• pH 3.34
• T/A 6.1
• Residual Sugar nil
• Alcohol 14%

Awards

• Winestate Magazine “Best of the Recent Releases”, May 2011,
  
• 4½ Stars
• Cuisine, 2010
• Recommended
• Air NZ Wine Awards 2010
• Silver Medal

Accolades

“From a specific 3-acre section of the Hunt family vineyard.  Chosen for subtlety and fine fruit flavours, a very nice pinot noir with good texture and plenty of versatility with food.” - Peter Saunders (Wine Writer for Hospitality Magazine) 2011

Pricing

Vintage	Per Bottle	Per Dozen	Purchase
"3 ACRES" Pinot Noir 2009	$30.00	$360.00	List Outlets | Buy Direct

 

 

Bald Hills Central Otago “Single Vineyard” Pinot Noir 2009

Tasting Note:

Harmonious and surprisingly soft for a wine which was bottled in March 2010, the “Single Vineyard” leads in with a full on savoury nose with hints of bacon, thyme, spearmint and violets. The basic structure of fruit, acid and tannins promises great things – elegance with strength and overlapping layers of flavour.  Cellaring will bring out the full complexity of this wine. Reminiscent of our ’05 at the same stage of development, though more savoury.

Food Match:

Cheese boards, chicken, duck, lamb, pork, beef, venison!  In fact this Pinot Noir “goes” with a wide range of foods. The wonderful depth of flavour is balanced by acidity levels that are higher than in other red wines (e.g. Shiraz, Merlot etc) while the tannins are soft, making it an excellent choice when foods are rather rich.

Viticulture and Winemaking:

 

Vines are trained to VSP and are both spur pruned and cane pruned, depending on exposure to wind.

Two bunches maximum per shoot.

The barrel selection which makes up this wine is representative of a full clonal selection, although predominantly clones 10/5 and B115.

Fruit cold soaked, 30% whole bunch. Ferment plunged by hand up to 4 times per day. Gentle pressing prior to transference to French oak barrels, 40% new, to remain for almost eleven months before bottling. Coarse filtration.

Technical Notes:

• Picked Mid- April 2009
• Brix  25.5
• pH  3.53
• T/A  6.2
• Residual Sugar Nil
• Alcohol  14%

Awards:

• Australian Boutique Wine Awards 2011
• Gold Medal
• Winestate Magazine “Best of the Recent Releases”, May 2011,
• 4½ Stars
• Air NZ Wine Awards 2010
• Pure Gold

Accolades

“Top flight pinot from the best barrels off the Hunt family vineyard near Bannockburn; winemaker Grant Taylor. Lovely texture and some depth to the fruit; yet carrying elegance and class. Enjoyable now with roasts from chicken to venison but will also gain further complexity in the bottle over the next three or four years.” - Peter Saunders (Wine Writer for Hospitality Magazine) 2011

Pricing

Vintage	Per Bottle	Per Dozen	Purchase
"Single Vineyard" Pinot Noir 2009	$46.00	$552.00	List Outlets | Buy Direct

 

Bald Hills Central Otago “Single Vineyard” Pinot Noir 2008

Tasting Note:

The coarse filtration employed in the making of this Pinot is revealed in its density, giving depthto its alluring deep ruby colour. On the nose, an inviting aroma of Black Doris plums and blackberry jelly pervades, with subtle layers of herbs such as tarragon and chervil and an unmistakable whiff of almond meal.

Upon tasting, plums, cherries and dark berries come to the fore and linger there throughout the mid-palate, during the slow development of a bright acidity and emerging mellow tannins.

Foodmatch:

This wine is delicious with pork, red meats and cheeses.

Viticulture & Winemaking:

VSP trellis system with a 95cm fruiting wire.  Vine density of 2500 vines per hectare. Hand tending reduces the fruit weight to approximately 5.5 tonnes per hectare. Plantings of phacaelia, buckwheat and mustard through every tenth row promote beneficial insects for biological control. Irrigation is strictly controlled through individual drippers.

One week pre-fermentation cold soak, 30% whole bunch.Primary fermentation completed in 8 days, during which time ferment plunged by hand up to 4 times per day. After a further maceration of 1 week the wine was pressed gently and transferred to French oak barrels, 35% new, where is was aged for 11 months before bottling.

Technical Notes:

• TA 5.9 g/L
• pH 3.54
• Alcohol 14%
• Picked 11th April; brix 25.0

Winemaker:

• Grant Taylor

Awards:

• International Wine Challenge (London) 2010
• Silver Medal
• Decanter World Wine Awards (London) 2010
• Silver Medal
• Winestate Magazine 2010, Wine of the Year Awards
• Top 5 Finalist

Accolades

“Elegance is the theme in this poised, finely scented, tightly structured Bannockburn red, still very youthful.   Sweet-fruited and ruby hued, with rich cherry and plum flavours, a hint of herbs, and ripe, supple tannins, it’s a complex wine, well worth cellaring.”   4 1/2 Stars: Winestate Magazine, 2010

Pricing:

Vintage	Per Bottle	Per Dozen	Purchase
"Single Vineyard" Pinot Noir 2008	$44.00	$528.00	List Outlets | Buy Direct

Bald Hills Central Otago “Single Vineyard” Pinot Noir 2007

Download tasting note (62Kb .pdf) 2007 Pinot Noir

Tasting Note:

Enticing ruby colour with purple/violet tinge at the rim.

Rosemary George, a UK wine judge, tasted this wine in May 2008. She had this to say..

“The 2007 developed beautifully over the evening. Deep vibrant colour with an initially closed fresh nose, some ripe fruit and a firm streak of tannin. It developed some lovely black cherry aromas, and is layered and textured with good fruit and depth and would continue to develop in the bottle.”

Bald Hills own tasting in August notes the development of a star anise spiciness and a familiar scent of violets as the wine unfolds.

Drinking well now but has cellaring potential for at least 10 years.

Viticulture:

VSP trellis system with a 95cm fruiting wire. Vine density of 2500 vines/hectare. Hand tended and picked. Inter-row plantings of phacelia, buckwheat and triticale to promote the activity of beneficial insects and to condition the soil.

Winemaking:

Hand-picked fruit cold soaked, 30% whole bunch. Primary fermentation completed in 8 days, during which time ferment was plunged by hand up to 4 times per day.After a post fermentation period of 1 week the wine was pressed gently and transferred to French oak barrels, 35% new. Very coarse filtration.

Technical Notes:

• Titratable Acidity 6.4.grams/litre
• pH – 3.64
• Free SO2 – 25ppm
• Dissolved CO2 – 770ppm
• Alcohol – 13.66%

Awards:

• Sydney International Wine Competition 2009
  • Blue/Gold And Top 100
• Decanter World Wine Awards 2009
  • Gold Medal ( the only one for Central Otago!)
• International Wine And Spirit Competition (London) 2008
  • Silver Medal

Accolades:

“…The 2007 (Pinot Noir) developed beautifully over the evening.  Deep vibrant colour with an initial closed fresh nose, some ripe fruit and a firm streak of tannin.  It developed some lovely black cherry aromas, and is layered and textured with good fruit and depth….”. Rosemary George, MW

“2007  Bald Hills Pinot Noir Single Vineyard (*****) Big pinot noir ruby,  above midway in depth,  not as youthful as some 2007s.  Bouquet is intensely floral,  including dusky rose and boronia aromas,  with red grading to black cherry fruit teetering towards plummyness,  and some sur-maturité.  Palate rescues the wine,  being fresh,  the flavours dark … yes,  but not heavy,  with sensitive oaking,  and great length on the skin tannins,  all lingering attractively.  A clue to the volume of bouquet is apparent in the slight suggestion of stalkyness on palate,  but the total depth of varietal fruit is remarkable – a lovely wine.  The benefits of a part-stalk component in the fermentation are well-apparent here.  Cellar 3 – 8 years.” Geoff Kelly Wine Reviews

Bald Hills is proud to have been chosen in the Top 10  New Zealand Pinots  tasted at the Pinot Noir 2010 Conference, by Geoff Kelly, and published online and in NZ Winegrower, the industry magazine.

 

Pricing:

	Per Bottle	Per Dozen	Purchase
"Single Vineyard" Pinot Noir 2007	SOLD OUT	SOLD OUT	List Outlets | Buy Direct

Bald Hills Central Otago “Single Vineyard” Pinot Noir 2006

Awards:

• Sydney International Wine Competition 2009
  • Blue/Gold
• Winestate Magazine 2008
  • 5 Stars
• Cuisine Magazine October 2008
  • Recommended

Accolades:

“…The (Pinot Noir) 2006 vintage (*****) was estate-grown at Bannockburn and matured in French oak barriques (35% new).  Full-coloured, rich and lively, with cherry, plum and spice flavours, savoury and complex, it is very finely balanced and lingering, offering delicious drinking now onwards…” Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide 2009

Pricing:

	Per Bottle	Per Dozen	Purchase
"Single Vineyard" Pinot Noir 2006	$90(Limited stock)	$1080(Limited stock)	Email Us

 

 

Bald Hills Central Otago Pinot Noir 2005

Awards

• International Wine Challenge (London) 2007
  • Sustainable Trophy
  • Champion Red Wine Trophy
  • International Pinot Noir Trophy
  • NZ South Island Pinot Noir Trophy
• Decanter World Wine Awards (London) 2007
  • International Pinot Noir Over £10 Trophy
  • Regional NZ Pinot Noir Over £10 Trophy
• Sydney International Wine Competition 2007
  • Blue/Gold

Accolades:

“…this year it was Bald Hills [2005] Pinot Noir’s ripe red currant nose, summer fruit palate and impeccable balance that set the wine apart from the 4,761 other red wines judged in the competition, an incredible effort for an incredible wine which also picked up the first ever champion sustainable award…..”. Ultimate accolades announced by International Wine Challenge, London, 2007

Pricing:

	Per Bottle	Per Dozen	Purchase
Pinot Noir 2005	SOLD OUT	SOLD OUT	Email Us

• Pricing information current as at May 2010
• Sales outside New Zealand in case lots only
• Freight Charges: North Island $14 per case or part case, South Island $9 per case or part case
• All wine and freight costs are inclusive of GST
• Please note that wine sales may only be made to persons 18 years of age or over
• We are happy to courier wine in any quantity direct to your home or place of work in New Zealand
• Order online or by phone, fax or email, and we will take care of everything