2014 Huia Pinot Noir

Huia

New Zealand / Marlborough / Huia

Most of the grapes for Huia Pinot Noir come from the Brancott Valley, the remainder from the stony loam of the Wairau Valley. It’s a mixture of old and new vines; some older than 20 years, others just reaching their first decade in the soil. Perfect dark purple bunches are hand-picked and then de-stemmed into tank. After about four days the grapes are inoculated with specific wine yeast and the fermentation begins. After two weeks, the wine is pressed off the skins and settled, before being racked to barrel and puncheon for malolactic fermentation and maturation.

March, 2017

Cameron Douglas MS

camdouglasms.com

96 points

A beautiful bouquet of Pinot Noir with a beguiling and seductive package of aromas - wild flowers, wild fresh berries, a light savoury and dried herb layer, texture and form, complex, youthful. On the palate - delicious! youthful and charming, but also tense and poised with fine firming tannins, palate-engaging acidity, a core of ripe fruit and wild florals, long finish. Decant for service or cellar (preferred) till 2019 then try again.

Standard Bottle Out of Stock

About Huia

Huia Vineyards is a family-owned winery based in Marlborough's Wairau Valley. Claire and Mike Allan bought the initial vineyard land in 1990 and launched Huia in 1996, with a focus on handcrafting wines that express the richness of Marlborough grapes from the vineyard to the table. This quest for quality is represented by the Huia feather, a symbol of dignity, wisdom and elegance. The Allans are acutely aware of the need to preserve the magnificent environment that provides their unique wine. Huia is has been fully certified organic with BioGro New Zealand since 2011 and since 2009 has been in certification with Demeter Bio-Dynamics. Certified Organic

About

Mike and Claire Allan were studying winemaking in Adelaide in 1990 when they scored vintage positions in Marlborough, Mike at Cloudy Bay and Claire at Corbans. They immediately fell in love with the beauty and energy of the region, and couldn't resist when they saw an ad in the local paper for a block of land on an old apple orchard in Rapaura that “looked like heaven”. It took four years’ toil to get the apples out and the land ready for planting what has now become Huia. During that time, Mike deepened his relationship with the region at Cloudy Bay and Vavasour, while Claire went from Corbans to Lawson’s Dry Hills. By 1996, they had the estate up and running. “It was the vitality of the wines we tasted when we got to Marlborough that told us we were somewhere special,” says Mike, accounting for the motivation that got the place to the great shape it’s in today.