In the vineyard
Our 2012 Pinot Noir is the 6th release of our estate cuvée and was made from mainly 10 year old vines (Clones 5, 6, Abel, 667, 115, 777).
2011/12 was a good growing season at Folding Hill and with a long settled Autumn we were able to pick exactly when we thought the grapes were ripe.
As usual we thinned extensively and our final yield was approximately 4 tonnes / hectare.
Grapes hand harvested 23rd April.
Winemaker’s notes
Bunches fully de-stemmed but not crushed. 7-9 day cold soak then fermented with wild and inoculated yeasts. Hand plunged 2-3 times per day and fermented to dryness over 6 – 10 days. Post ferment maceration until wines in balance then run into French oak barriques (Francois Frere medium toast, approx. 33% new), Barrel matured for 10 months
The final blending of barrels was done with the aim of ensuring the wine’s structure and texture were in balance with the characteristic estate dark fruit profile. Bottled unfiltered and unfined and closed with DIAM cork.
Reviews
Jamie Goode Lovely silky elegance to the fresh cherry and plum fruit. Pure and focused with some structure and a bit of minerality. Great balance with ripe but fresh red cherry fruit. A lovely wine. 95/100
Jane Skilton - My January 2014 visit to Central Otago unearthed an exciting new producer; Folding Hill makes stunning pinot noir off a tiny single vineyard tucked away in the Bendigo subregion. Early days but the releases to date have been very encouraging; the latest release, the 2012 Pinot Noir is a perfumed, finely structured wine full of wild thyme, lavender florals and raspberry fruit. Full of potential for the long haul though delicious now too”
John Saker Easy aromatic charm-floral mostly, with wisps of red and dark fruit. The palate is stunning…..complex, nice chew, oozing fruit charm. Harmonious, with superb length. 19/20
Gary Walsh, Winefront -Lovely evocative name for a winery is Folding Hill. And for a Central Otago, it does not take too much of the folding to get into it.Rich juicy cherry, earth and pencil, spices and a wild thyme and aniseed perfume. Medium bodied, mainly red fruited with a layer of spice and gentle oak, fat well-rounded tannin and particularly good unforced acidity. Briar and spice in the aftertaste, and a fond clip of tannin on a convincing finish. Really good. It won me over enough to push it up to a 94 point rating
Peter Moser, Falstaff -Deep ruby garnet with violet reflections, subtle edge whitening. Delicate peppery-coded ripe dark berry jam, pleasant spiciness. Juicy, ripe cherry fruit, good complexity and extract sweetness, fine acidity, a powerful but well balanced wine, very typical of the region, adheres well, has safe aging potential. 92+/100
Michael Cooper - Savoury, spicy red, showing excellent power, structure and complexity. Concentrated and ripely flavoured, with good tannin support and impressive harmony. Well worth cellaring. 4 ½ stars
Cameron Douglas MS - A very youthful bouquet with fresh, lively and tart smelling fruits - lots of cherry and cranberry notes along with red apple skin; moderate yet noticeable oak and moderate complexity. On the palate - dry with a noticeable core of ripe and sweet fruit - very generous in this regard; moderate bite of oak, medium+ acidity, medium+ fine tannins. Blanced with medium+ complexity and length. Well made and destined to cellar well for 5+ years. 5 stars