A Wonderful Example of Bendigo Pinot.

Folding Hill is a small boutique wine company started in 2001 dedicated to producing fine pinot noir from their own 10 acre vineyard on the northern terraces of Bendigo Creek in Central Otago, New Zealand.

Folding Hill’s principal partners are the Kerruish family, Anne Charlesworth, and Hywel and Kim Lloyd. Attention to detail in the vineyard enables them to take a gentle, hands off approach to winemaking. This allows their wines to fully reflect the special place they come from.

They had an excellent season for this vintage and together with their “obsession for low yields and meticulous viticulture” produced outstanding fruit which was harvested by hand on the 12th of April. Fruit from various clones were blending with the aim of a textured, complex and balanced wine.

Here are the Winemakers’ Notes – 2010

Grapes harvested 12th April 2010. pH 3.35 TA 8.5 Brix 24.3 ABV 14%

Bunches fully destemmed but not crushed. 8 day cold soak then fermented with both wild and inoculated yeasts. Hand plunged 3 times per day and fermented to dryness over 6 – 9 days. Post ferment maceration until wines in balance then run into French oak barriques (Francois Frere medium toast, approx. 33% new), Barrel matured for 11 months and then selected barrels blended to produce a wine with complexity, texture, structure and length. We continue to use Diam closures for our wine as this replicates the characteristics of a traditional cork with no risk of cork taint.

My Notes: Folding Hill Pinot Noir 2010

I decanted the wine to open it up a bit then back into the bottle to serve. Deep dark black cherry in colour, smoke and spice in the nose, with a hint of both floral & herbal notes. First impressions on the palate it appears quite savoury, with lots of layers and texture but then after a few seconds followed by lovely juicy fruit. It’s a medium-bodied style, with lovely integrated tannins & subtle oak and still bright acidity. A long and memorable finish… Still needs more time, perhaps even up to 5 years… a well deserved 5 Stars in Michael Cooper’s 2013 Wine Guide and a wonderful example of Bendigo Pinot.

To find out more about Folding Hill visit their Website https://foldinghill.co.nz/ Like their Facebook Page or Follow them on Twitter.