This 2018 Pinot Noir was sourced from Mud House's Claim 431 Vineyard in the Bendigo sub-region of Central Otago. The vineyard’s free draining loam soils over schist gravel make it a natural home for growing outstanding Pinot Noir. The huge diurnal temperature variation, adds to the structure and fruit concentration of the wine.

The 2018 vintage started well with warm weather during flowering ensuring a well- balanced crop. The following warm to hot sum- mer meant for an early harvest for our Pinot Noir and it was a race to get the fruit off. The 2018 wines are approachable with a generous palate. The grapes were gently de-stemmed, allowing whole berries to remain intact. After a week long cold soak, each parcel was fermented separately, with a combination of wild and cultured yeast. The batches were hand plunged to extract the vibrant colour, flavour and delicate tannin structure. Parcel’s were pressed separately to a mix of new and used French oak barrels or remained in tank. In the spring after completing malolactic fermentation, each parcel and tank was tasted and blended. A portion of this wine was aged in French oak barriques, while the balance was matured in stainless steel to retain fruit character.