Mt Difficulty Long Gully Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2017 Central Otago - 6 Bottles

WINERY INFORMATION

Vineyard

The grapes for the wines that carry the Mt Difficulty label are subject to two strict criteria: they are managed under the umbrella of the Mt Difficulty viticultural team and must be sourced from vineyards situated in a very specific area - the South side of the Kawarau River at Bannockburn. Mt Difficulty Single Vineyard wines are even more site-specific, created to express the terroir from which they come, and thus Mt Difficulty Long Gully Pinot Noir is the essence of the vineyard itself. Long Gully has Lochar soils with thin and wavy clay pans which are deep enough to cause no impediment to roots or drainage. These are well-drained, high pH soils ideally suited to viticulture. They generally have a 30 cm depth of topsoil over fine to moderately coarse gravels. The majority of the fruit in the Long Gully Pinot Noir is from vines that are 18-21 years old with a smattering from vines that are 15 years old.

Tasting Notes

Long Gully Pinot Noir is handcrafted in very limited quantities and only released in outstanding vintages. Crisp blackberry and Bing cherry interplay with baronial floral notes alongside an assemblage of sweet brown spices. These same lifted dark cherry and berry notes dominate the entry onto the palate; there’s a classic Long Gully dense mid-palate with flow and texture. The wine finishes strongly with a lovely tension present right through the fine-grained tannins and spicy dark berry fruit. Mt Difficulty Long Gully Pinot Noir will improve for 10 – 15 years given optimal cellaring conditions.