Our Wines
25 Steps Central Otago Pinot Noir 2006
Vintage:
The 2006 vintage started with a very warm spring and the vines got off to a good start that carried through right to harvest, producing heavy bunches with good quantities of well-ripened berries.
Our Pinot bears the imprint of this hard-wrought landscape and the often extreme weather conditions of Central Otago. We nurture and craft each vintage as part of a growing legacy – one we hope will be as lasting, substantial and full of character as the vineyard itself.
Winemaking:
Grapes for this wine were hand harvested at 25° Brix, at the optimum combination of flavour development and sugar/acid balance. A five-day cold soak preceded fermentation. In total, the wine spent 21 to 24 days on skins before being transferred to small French oak barrels, 65% of which were new, to mature for ten months.
Appearance:
Dark with ruby red tints.
Taste:
The wine has aromas and flavours of dark fruit with herbal, leather and savoury notes. Tannins are well integrated and the wine has good length.
Food match:
25 Steps Pinot Noir is a good match for venison, lamb, duck and even salmon dishes.
Cellaring:
You can drink the wine young, but it will reward cellaring for up to 5 years.
Technical specifications:
25 Steps Central Otago Pinot Noir 2007
Vintage:
A series of cold snaps during flowering led to low fruit set and smaller crop levels. The dry summer allowed us to control vigour and berry size, leading to a more concentrated vintage. Right on cue in early March, the temperatures cooled off at night, resulting in optimum conditions for a slow ripening.
Winemaking:
Grapes for this wine were hand harvested at 25.5° Brix, at the optimum combination of flavour development and sugar/acid balance. A five-day cold soak preceded fermentation. In total, the wine spent 21 to 24 days on skins before being transferred to small French oak barrels, 65% of which were new, to mature for ten months.
Appearance:
Dark with ruby red tints.
Taste:
Ripe berry fruits with hints of dried herbs. A full, rich Pinot Noir, with complexity. Long structured tannins overlay the dense, brooding palate.
Food match:
The fullness of this wine will allow it to compliment gamey meats, and it marries beautifully with New Zealand lamb.
Cellaring:
You can drink the wine young, but it will reward cellaring for up to 5 years.
Technical specifications:
25 Steps Central Otago Pinot Noir Rose
Vintage:
A hard winter with very low temperatures delayed the start of the growing season. However, a very benign spring and summer meant the grapes were able to catch up and with the very dry and hot summer, including a spectacular flowering, the grapes were able to carry a very good crop. The temperatures dropped during the middle of March and enabled the grapes to be picked by clone when they were flavour-ripe, while still maintaining a good acid structure.
Winemaking:
Pinot Noir fruit is hand sorted and hand picked. After harvesting and de-stemming, the juice is left in contact with the skins for a period of 24 hours. This intensifies the resultant colour, flavours and aromas of the juice. To retain those pure fruit characters in the rose, the wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks at a cool temperature.
This careful handling ensures that each bottle of 25 Steps Central Otago Pinot Noir Rosé has an intensity of complex flavours that reflect the hard-wrought vineyard terroir and extreme growing conditions of Central Otago.
Appearance:
Blush red.
Taste:
Alluring aromas of wild strawberry and watermelon lead to fresh, vibrant palate. Off-dry in style, this wine is the perfect spring and summer wine.
Food match:
25 Steps Pinot Noir Rosé is lovely as an apertif and is also a great match for light summer dishes.
Cellaring:
This wine is best enjoyed while youthful, fresh and vibrant.
Technical specifications:
Winemaking
