Country: New Zealand  Region: Waipara  Vintage: 2018 Category: Pinot Noir  Color:  Red Producer: Tiki Estate The TIKI is a hand carved Maori treasure which, when gifted, bestows goodfortune and love on others. We craft our wines with the same spirit in mind. Traditional Burgundian methods were used for vinification and elevage. A proportion of whole bunch was placed at the bottom of the vats, with destemmed berries on top. One week cold soak was followed by a natural fermentation during which time the floating cap of skins was plunged twice daily. After fermentation the wine was tasted daily to determine the day of pressing. Total cuvasion was around 3 weeks. It was gently pressed pneumatically then aged in French oak for 18 months on yeast lees. The malolactic fermentation occurred naturally in spring. The result is a rich, ripe, full bodied wine with the typical regional characters of chocolate, cherry, plum and spice. Tasting Notes:  This Pinot Noir has aromas of dark cherry and plum on the nose. It is richly flavoured and aromatic and delivers elegant, earthy Pinot flavours complemented by fine grained tannins and well balanced subtle oak flavours. The palate is full but soft with great length of flavour and finishes dry with perfect weight and mouthfeel.