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Te Mania 2009 Nelson Pinot Noir

Established by Jon and Cheryl Harrey in 1990, Te Mania has gained an international reputation for producing fine Nelson wines. Te Mania is of course Maori for 'The Plains'. The logo on the label depicts a Harrier Hawk gliding above the vineyard and represents Nelson's idyllic climate and lifestyle.

The vineyards are located on ancient alluvial terraces near the beautiful coastline of Tasman Bay. The free draining, stony clay loam soils combined with Nelson's cool maritime climate and high sunshine hours to produce wines of the highest quality.

Fruit is sourced from their own vineyard and other vineyards both on the plains and on the surrounding hills to add complexity. The vines are on average cropped at a yield of between three and five tonnes, in order to produce fruit with excellent flavour. The flavours are further enhanced by the long, slow ripening period.

For this wine, a range of Pinot Noir clones were harvested from three different vineyards. Once harvested, the grapes were crushed and put into open tanks to ferment naturally using wild yeasts. The must was hand plunged for eight to ten days. After ferment, the wine was left on skins for a further ten to twenty-one days before being pressed and racked to tank. The wine was then aged in French and American oak barrels.

I found the ruby red 2009 Te Mania Nelson Pinot Noir to have a bouquet of dark plum and cherry with a hint of mocha. I also found this wine to have a definite fruit driven palate, with flavours of cherry, dark plum and raspberry combining well with herbal, leather and savoury notes. It is a wine with good balance and weight leading to a lingering finish of cherry stone and dark chocolate. .

I found this wine drinking well now and would expect it to mature well with added complexity over the next four to five years. I would recommend trying this wine with lamb or roast beef.

Reviewed by Stephen Clark (11/7/2011)
 

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