2021 Delta Hatters Hill Pinot Noir

Tasting note: 

NOSE: Ripe black fruits, black olives and a hint of dried thymes.

PALATE: Black cherry, Blackberries and savory Kalamata olives, with a lovely silky structure and a long, toasy finish.

FROM THE LAND: Our Hatters Hill Pinot Noir was harvested from the Delta Vineyard, located in Marlborough’s Southern Valleys. The vineyard comprises of 27 hectares of Pinot Noir from selected Dijon clones planted in 2002. Our vineyard’s rich clay soil and elevation combined with Marlborough’s warm days and cool nights, make this site ideal for producing top quality Pinot Noir.

TO THE WINERY: Our winemakers selected the finest clone 115 and 777 Pinot Noir grapes from the Delta vineyard. The grapes were carefully picked and transported to the winery where they were kept in a cold soak for four days to extract maximum colour, flavour and tannin from the grapes. Innoculated with a selected yeast strain in tank, the grapes were fermented at a warm temperature. To enhance extraction, the wine underwent hand plunging up to eight times daily during the height of fermentation. After fermentation, the wine was transferred into French oak barriques, 16 percent brand new oak. The wine then underwent full malolactic conversion in barrel, followed by nine months agening. Only the finest barrels were selected and lightly fined before bottling.

FLAVOURS & FOOD: Drinking beautifully from release and will continue to mature over the next eight to ten years. Excellently paired with seared beef tenderloin and a wild mushroom sauce. Alternatively, alongside peppered Havarti cheese and plum jelly

– Delta vineyards 

Ripe, youthful intense and varietal with core aromas of black raspberry and crushed cherry, there’s an earthy quality with a stony, gravel scents then lees and some wood spices including clove, along with wood smoke and plenty of energy. Equally youthful and intense on the palate with flavours of fresh berries and plum, wood spices and a core of varietal fruit reminders. An abundance of needlepoint tannins and youthful acid line easily contrasted by the core fruit flavours and palate textures. A wine that will develop well in your cellar with best drinking from 2024 through 2029+. 93 points. Cameron Douglas, World of Wine – Winter Edition