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Northburn Station Pinot Noir 2007

It might seem strange to some that a winery so far south would produce a red wine, but Pinot Noir has a faster ripening period than many other red grapes, and is well suited to growing in cooler climates around the world. It can be difficult to cultivate and transform into wine, but when done well can produce some of the finest wines in the world. Pinot Noir even has its own festival in Central Otago, with the Central Otago Pinot Noir Celebration being held in Queenstown from January 27th to January 29th, 2011.

There are seven different sub-regions in the Central Otago region and Northburn is in the Cromwell Basin, Central Otago’s most important sub-region, with over two thirds of Central Otago’s plantings located there. Northburn Station is only partially planted in vines, with only 23 hectares of the 12,000 hectare high country merino station containing vines. The vineyard was established in 1999 and the 2007 Pinot Noir is the winery’s seventh Pinot Noir vintage.

For the 2007 vintage, crop yields were lower than average right across the Central Otago region but the Northburn fruit was picked when fully ripe and this combined with the lower cropping added to flavour concentration in the fruit. Rather than plant the vineyard with the same clone of Pinot Noir vines, different clones have been planted at Northburn, each adding its own characters to the wine.

To make the wine, winemaker Michelle Richardson chose to use a natural ferment. Once the ferment was completed, the wine was pressed off to barrel for malolactic fermentation and aging. It was egg fined prior to bottling.

I found the aroma of the Northburn Station Pinot Noir to resemble red cherry and plum. I was therefore not surprised to find the flavour of red cherry on the palate, although the plum took backstage to flavours of rich coffee and savoury oak. It has a long lingering finish dominated by the savoury oak flavours but also with more than a hint of dark chocolate. It is a fairly simple and light Pinot Noir in classic Central Otaqo style.

The flavours of this wine would go well with game meats especially venison or you could also try it with a rack of lamb.

Reviewed by Stephen Clark (1/3/2010)
 

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