Bruce Pinot Noir

Bruce by Matahiwi Estate Pinot Noir, are two very special barrels of our top pinot noir. Bruce was the grandfather of Holly, our reserve label namesake. He was a one of a kind person who loved his community, as well as bagpipes and tartan. We don’t make Bruce every year, only in very special years, to honour a very special man.

The nose has lifted aromas of roses, violets, blueberry, spice, and smoke. The palate has concentrated flavours of dark cherry, plum, cedar and earth with full spicy tannins leading to a sustained finish. Excellent for sipping by the fire with a fat stogie, this wine is a great match for rich meat dishes like jugged hare, venison casserole, or beef steak.

Vineyard

The fruit for this wine is a great expression of Pinot Noir, grown on our home vineyard, Matahiwi. A raised gravel ridge outside of Masterton in Northern Wairarapa. 2021 was an outstanding red wine vintage, with naturally low yields ripened in a benign growing season. For this wine we targeted small blocks of the best vines for extra fruit thinning and canopy management to maximize quality.

Winemaking

The Fruit was harvested at optimum ripeness in March and is a 50/50 blend of Abel and Clone 5. The fermentation occurred in small open top fermenters, the Abel with 40% whole bunches, with a total of 3 weeks on skins. After fermentation the wine was run to barrels, 50% new oak, where it remained for 12 months undergoing Malolactic fermentation. The blend was then assembled and bottled without fining.

Technical Specs

pH: 3.52

TA:5.62

RS: Dry (>1g/L)

Winemaker: Miles Dineen