• French oak
• Ripe cherry
• Wild dried herb
• Elegant tannins

"Pristine with elegant complexity, the enticing bouquet shows ripe cherry, thyme, floral and roasted nut aromas with a hint of savoury mushroom nuance. The palate displays excellent weight and fine texture, wonderfully framed by elegantly infused tannins. Harmonious and beautifully layered with a persistent silky finish. At its best: now to 2034" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Mar 2023

"There’s an immediate place and time, power and variety with scents of dark cherry and savoury wild dried herb, some plum and fruit spice then barrel with a mild toasty anise anise and clove suggestion. There’s also a mineral core of stone and hard sandy clay. The palate mirrors the bouquet with core cherry and dried raspberry fruit flavours, firm tannins and plenty of cool climate acidity, layers of wood spice and mineral. Dry, lengthy, complex and still new. A lovely example with best drinking from 2024 through 2034+" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Apr 2023

"Mellow Pinot Noir with red cherry, fresh herbs, floral/violet notes and spicy oak flavours. Taut, refreshingly dry with a pleasing undercurrent of fruit/alcohol sweetness. Accessible now but should develop well with bottle age" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, May 2023

"Deep, ruby-red, lighter on the rim. The nose is gently full, with aromas of cherry, raspberry, rosehip, herb and spice. Medium-full bodied, richer on the palate with aromas of cherry, raspberry and a savoury edge, entwined with rosehip, wild thyme, liquorice, earth and black pepper. The wine is structured with a fine tannin framework, unfolding dark herbs and spice details with a dry, red-fruited background. Integrated, fine acidity carries a long, broody finish. This savoury Pinot Noir has a velvety mouthfeel with dark herb, earth and spice front and red-fruited support" Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Reviews, Apr 2023

Dark ruby red, this Pinot Noir has a complex nose of wild thyme, rose-hip, red fruits and white spice and a beautiful palate that blends sweet fruit with a mineral purity.

Misha’s Vineyard is located on a spectacular site in New Zealand on the edge of Lake Dunstan in the Bendigo sub-region of Central Otago. The sun drenched north-west facing terraces of the 57-hectare estate provide optimal conditions for producing world-class Pinot Noir and aromatic white varieties. Our ‘no compromise’ philosophy requires exacting viticulture regimes, hand-picking, and considerate winemaking methodologies.

A chilly start to the season was followed by warm settled weather enabling some fast growth on the vineyard. By the end of November when flowering started, the spring winds came with a vengeance and continued into December bringing a dip in temperatures whilst flowering occurred on the higher altitudes. By the end of December, the wind stopped but wet and cloudy conditions persisted through January. The following two months had warmer temperatures and the combination of January’s rain followed by this consistent warm period resulted in the canopy and crop levels looking much better than predicted and in spite of the uneven fruit set. The Pinot Noir for this blend was hand-picked at an average yield of 6 tonnes per hectare with excellent fruit condition and flavours. Growing Degree Days (GDDs) for this season were 1114.

The fruit was chilled overnight before crushing the next day typically as 1.5 and 4 tonne lots. The crushed fruit was then cold soaked for 5-7 days after then allowed to warm as the natural yeast ferment took place. An average of 12% whole bunch component was included. Cooling was used to ensure the ferments peaked below 32°C. The wine was then held warm (15-20°C) post ferment to allow ongoing tannin integration. After an average of 26 days on skins the wines were then pressed to tank where they were settled for 1–2 days before being racked into French oak hogsheads (18% new 300 litre barrels). The wine was inoculated for malolactic fermentation which took place in the following spring, then racked out of barrels and filtered prior to bottling in Feb 2022.

Food Pairing: This Pinot Noir is very versatile and great with lamb, venison and veal, and a large range of vegetable dishes, especially mushrooms. It is also the perfect accompaniment to game birds such as quail, pheasant, turkey and duck.