Amisfield Wine Company

About Pinot Noir
Pronounced "pea-kno kno-waar", is a red wine grape variety just 3 chromosomes different from "Vitis Vinefera" the original grape vine.

The name is comes from the French words for "pine" and "black" alluding to the varietals' tightly clustered dark purple pine cone-shaped bunches of fruit.

Pinot Noir is a French grape varietal used in the making of fine sparkling wine and dry red table wine. Pinot Noir is a difficult grape from which to grow, ripen and produce wine. It is extremely sensitive to variations in environmental factors. Pinot Noir could be considered to be 'temperamental', making it alluring for both winemakers and viticultulists to try and master this noble variety.

Viticulture, climate and soil
Pinot noir is thin skinned and therefore delicate and susceptible to climate. It prefers to grow in a cool climate, so the fruit can gain flavor by long slow ripening. More concentrated wines are grown on free draining soils so the vines struggle and therefore naturally crop at low levels, meaning less bunches, but more flavor and intensity in each bunch.

Central Otago
Is one of the few regions in the world which has a climate well suited to the variety. We have long hot days and cool evenings, letting the vines ripen slowly over a long period, which means balanced and bright fruit flavors. We have mostly glacial and alluvial soils creating the draining pinot noir prefers.

Amisfield Wine Company

1. Amisfield Pinot Noir is a ripe style eptiomising the aroma, complexity and flavour of cool climate Pinot Noir. Grown on a number of different blocks at the vineyard, the grapes off these blocks come into the winery and go through fermentation separately, then into barrels for 11 months maturation. The wines is then "built" together, creating a layering of flavours that make the wine complex. The Amisfield Pinot Noir style is;
Bright, dark fruit focused, spicy, subtle oak, fine grained powdery tannins.

Sub-Region - Pisa
Amisfield Vineyard: Blocks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7

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2. RKV Reserve Pinot Noir is not made every year; this is Amisfield's "Grand Cru" Pinot, a special wine grown on a very stony glacial soil. The grapes naturally crop at low levels giving this wine body, balance, lots of fruit flavor and a soft velvety texture.
The RKV Pinot Noir style is; Bottled without fining or filtration. Rich, dark fruit, spicy oak and savoury complexity. Well integrated, silky tannins.

Sub-Region - Pisa
Amisfield Vineyard: Rocky Knoll Vineyard, Block 1

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