Country: New Zealand Region: Marlborough Varietal: Pinot noir Vintage: 2016 Colour: Red Style: Dry Producer: Nautilus Estates Description: Nautilus Estate, established in 1985, is a small, family-owned winery in the cool climate wine region of Marlborough. It is one of the few in the region that has remained under the same family ownership for over thirty vintages.  Vintage :  A mild spring and warm & settled December resulted in a good fruit set and higher than average cropping levels so considerable fruit thinning was carried out to ensure the vines were balanced. Throughout spring and early summer the season was warmer than average and we were anticipating an early vintage. Post-Christmas temperatures were more normal but we still managed our earliest start for Pinot Noir on 2nd March and we had all of our premium Pinot picked before a brief rainfall on 16th March. A feature of the vintage is the fine tannin structure that has resulted in a soft, generous Pinot Noir. Wine making :   A small amount of whole bunch fruit was also included in some ferments (average 13.3% whole bunch). The grapes were fermented with indigenous yeast in open top fermenters after a 6-8 day ‘cold soak’. Careful cap management, using our pneumatic punch down device, has resulted in extraction of only the soft ripe tannins. After pressing the wine was racked directly to a mixture of new and older French oak Barriques, where it remained undisturbed until filtration and bottling in March 2015. Tasting Note: It is dark ruby in colour. The nose reveals fragrant floral aromas, ripe wild blackberries, plums and spices. The palate is medium bodied with good structure. Refined and balanced, this elegant wine shows good intensity and a lengthy finish. Food matching : Beautiful accompanied by Venison with Star Anise