Madam Sass, the bold and brassy lass from Central Otago, is reveling in the praise dished out by Cuisine Magazine in their annual Pinot Noir tasting panel.

In its May 2019 issue (194), Cuisine’s tasting panel awarded the 2018 Madam Sass Pinot Noir 4 stars/best buy. Wines with this rating represent an ‘outstanding mix of both quality and price’.

Cleighten Cornelius, Madam Sass winemaker, said: “We are pretty happy to get acknowledgement like this from Cuisine. With just two vintages under our belt, it really galvanizes that we are making a wine that is not only great quality, but is accessible.”

The 2018 Pinot Noir is full of attitude, style and extravagance. Aromas of decadent spice and sweet cherry are delivered with a fleshy, fruit-driven, seamless finish.

Madam Sass fruit is grown solely at the Claim 431 vineyard in Bendigo, Central Otago. Literally named after a miner’s original gold claim, the Claim 431 Vineyard in Bendigo sits firmly at the heart of New Zealand’s illustrious gold rush history.

With the landscape formed by glaciers grinding schist rocks to smaller gravels and finer particles, the soil is rich in minerals, free draining and perfect for growing exceptional Pinot Noir, with vibrant, dark fruit flavours and finely tuned acidity.

Madam Sass is our homage to the heroines of Central Otago’s gold rush era, when gutsy women held little regard for the establishment and relished taking risks.

Cleighten Cornelius said “We were confident – the 2018 vintage of Madam Sass Central Otago Pinot Noir was always going to be good. The growing season that preceded harvest was simply spectacular, the grapes were bursting with vibrant fruit flavour and heaved with decadent spice and pungent cherry.

“The wine was then aged for 8 months, a portion in French oak, which adds a robust tannin backbone to contrast those sassy berry fruit flavours. This Pinot Noir is sophisticated and has depth, much like Madam Sass herself. This one is a beauty – ready to drink now. You will be richly rewarded if you can wait, though.”

With harvest of the 2019 vintage underway, the legend of Madam Sass looks set to grow. Look out; more sass is just around the corner.

To find out more visit: http://www.madamsass.co.nz/

For distribution visit: https://www.hancocks.co.nz/