🇳🇿 Rapaura Springs Reserve Pinot Noir 2018 🍷

Adorning the label on every bottle of Rapaura Springs wine is a simple symbol — a circle of rocks that signify the pure spring in their home vineyard in the heart of Marlborough, New Zealand. The label and name represent an intimate connection to the pristine waters that collect high in the Southern Alps and are gradually filtered beneath the region’s braided rivers, refreshing the deep underground aquifers that feed the vines.

Viticulture & Winemaking
Rapaura Springs Reserve wines are expertly crafted from selected vineyards with impressive flavour concentration and palate weight, emblematic of the region. The Reserve Central Otago Pinot Noir is made from premium fruit off vineyards set amongst the rugged landscape of New Zealand’s Southern Alps. The glacial based soils produce wines with fragrant, lush fruit balanced by delicate acidity. The raw beauty of this unique landscape inspires the crafting of superb Pinot Noir wines.

Grapes were carefully harvested in the cool of the night to help preserve the fresh flavours from the vineyard. Upon arrival at the winery, the fruit was cold soaked for three to five days to extract the desired flavours, tannins and colour. Fermentation followed, in small open top tanks, using a selection of yeasts. The wine cap was plunged two to three times a day to extract colour and tannins from the skins. Select parcels were then allowed to macerate for an additional two to five days, further extracting colour and flavours after fermentation. After gently pressing the wine off skins, the wine underwent malolactic fermentation to soften the palate. Once pressed, the wine was matured in a combination of French and Hungarian Oak.

Tasting Notes
Dark berry fruits, Doris plum and violet aromas combine with underlying thyme and savoury oak aspects. The palate is full of vibrant dark fruit flavours, spicy oak and a savoury or ‘forest floor' influence. A softly textured wine, the fine tannins combine with the concentrated fruit flavours and a delicate acidity for a lingering finish.

Available at the LCBO: