One of Burn Cottage's dear friends in Central Otago is Grant Taylor, the former winemaker of Gibbston Valley Vineyards and proprietor of Valli Vineyards, one of the great Central Otago producers. Over the course of several months in 2013 Burn Cottage and Valli decided it would be fun to swap grapes from each other’s estate vineyard and make the wines. This is the third year of this collaboration. There's arguably no finer vineyard in the Gibbston region than Grant’s; the professionalism, care and love which go into the management of this site are exemplary.
The vines have an average age of 17 years, planted to a density of 4050 vines/Ha. The Pinot Noir clones are UCD5, UCD6, Dijon 115 and Dijon 777. The fruit was harvested on 10th April 2016 with an average Brix at harvest of 22. The ferment included 24% whole bunches, and the fruit spent on average 19 days in the fermenter. The wine was matured in Damy oak barrels, of which 25% was new.
The 2016 Burn Cottage Valli Vineyard wine shows lovely aromatic layers with florals, vibrant cherry and cassis, wet earth, spice and dried wild herb notes. A supple and concentrated palate displays generosity, while fine tannins lend persistence. Expressive now, the layers, balance and complexity of this wine will continue to reward for many years. Alcohol 13%; pH 3.75; TA 4g/L.