Mt Difficulty Roaring Meg Pinot Noir 2021 | Ewineasia.com

The 2021 growing season was a return to the enviable, lower stress conditions that Central Otago is famous for. We started with a warm spring, which gave the vines a good start. January was cooler and wetter, which replenished the soils and slowed growth, giving small, intensely flavoured grapes. By the time the beginning of harvest rolled around, we were just head of our long term average in terms of rate of ripening, and with fruit in fantastic condition. Yields were thankfully back to average in most areas, with only Bannockburn cropping slightly lower. This has given wines with excellent flavour and structure.

The majority of the fruit was destemmed to enhance the natural fruit characters of Pinot Noir from the Cromwell Basin. A small proportion was retained as whole cluster, with the aim of building texture and structure. The grapes stayed in the fermenter on average for a total of 19-21 days, with temperatures peaking at 28-30°C. The wine was plunged once daily both during pre-fermentation and during fermentation. Post-fermentation the wine was left to extract with no further punch downs. When the wine tasted in harmony it was pressed off to French oak where it resided on lees for 10 months. It underwent malolactic fermentation during early spring, was racked out of barrel in early-summer with filtration, but no fining, prior to bottling. Vegan friendly.

Roaring Meg Pinot Noir 2021 is deep, dark, and dense with notes of red and black cherry, red currant, and a touch of baking spice. This leads into an opulent palate full of boysenberry, strawberry, and black cherry fruit. A touch of cinnamon and star anise spice from the oak balances the wine. A long finish flows through with silky tannins. 

Roaring Meg Pinot Noir will improve for 3-5 years given optimal vintage and cellaring conditions.