Pinot Noir: Previous Releases
2010 "Pisa Terrace Vineyard" Pinot Noir, suggested retail is $40/bottle
The key vintage signature for our 2010 Pinot Noir is concentration. The tiny berries and small grape bunches translated into really intense floral, plum/cherry, spice and savoury notes in our wine, along with an abundance of supple and firm tannins. We held the wine longer in barrel to develop and round these tannins, which balance the flavour concentration on the palate.Here is our favourite review of this wine by Sam Kim, Wine Orbits:
This is an engaging and complex pinot displaying dark cherry, plum, floral and spice aromas. The palate is dense and richly textured with lovely focus, leading to an impressively long finish backed by fine/firm tannins. A superbly structured and concentrated wine showing excellent potential. At its best: now to 2017.
The 2010 Vintage
Pisa Terrace experienced among the earliest bud breaks in the region, which meant a couple extra weeks of anxious frost protection on the front end of the season. We endured numerous frost-fighting days early on, and the cumulative effect of low temps ended up significantly affecting fruit set and yield. Late spring was quite mild, with less fierce Northwester’ winds than usual, followed by an almost balmy summer. Veraison took a bit longer than usual to complete, following which we started seeing more birds in the area than usual. We put nets over the vine canopy early on, which was fortunate as this season saw abundant bird flocks descend on Central Otago preceding Harvest, particularly the damaging tiny wax eyes. Given our low crop levels per vine, we experienced grape maturity significantly earlier than neighboring vineyards. The birds seemed quite aware of this, giving our vineyard preferential treatment despite the bird nets, which we struggled to repair on a daily basis. We were among the first to finish Harvest in the Cromwell Basin, with ideal flavor and phenolics ripeness, and celebrated by pulling the nets off the vines and rolling them up immediately. Gleaning by birds occurred instantaneously.2009 "Pisa Terrace Vineyard" PInot Noir, suggested retail is $38/bottle
The signature aromatics of our vineyard, Pisa Terrace, are evident in our 2009 PInot Noir, a potpourri of dried flowers with a hint of wild herbs. Classic Central Otago cherry and red plum fruit fill the aroma and palate, with earthy nuances and cinnamon spice notes from ripe whole clusters added during fermentation. French oak barrels contribute to the fine-grained tannins and silky structure of the wine, and add a distinctive spice and smoky counterpoint to the rich fruit flavors. We love the elegance and balance of this wine and how well it reflects our vineyard. Here is our favourite review of this wine by Bob Campbell, MW:Ripe, elegant wine with good structure and acidity. Moderately concentrated and impeccably made and balanced Pinot. Supple wine with loads of appeal.
2008 "Pisa Terrace Vineyard" PInot Noir, suggested retail is $38/bottleOur 2008 Pinot Noir has an intriguing aroma of potpourri, reminiscent of naturally dried flowers with a hint of wild herbs, together with fragrant blueberry and plum notes. Dark, sweet fruit fills the palate, full of black raspberries and plums. The whole clusters added to the fermentation contribute intriguing spice and earthiness. Subtle French oak offers baking spice and chocolate notes, along with a mouthfilling structure. A fine balance of tannin and acidity frame the fruit and contribute to nice palate length. What pleases us the most is a floral aroma we find unique to our vineyard and wine, enhancing classic Central Otago Pinot Noir. This expression is the reason we came here to grow and make wine from this temperamental varietal. Here is our favourite review of this wine by Bob Campbell, MW:Dense, sweet fruit in an elegant and charming style. Very linear and reasonably long Pinot Noir with fragrance and an appealing mix of floral and spice notes on the lengthy finish.For Ellero Pinot Noir specs, please follow this link.