Grape Varieties
100% Pinot Noir
Winery
Kim Crawford Wines was established in late 1996, when Kim launched a range made from fruit grown in the South Island. Kim sold the company to Constellation in 2005 and has since handed the winemaking reins over to the Constellation winemaking team. Control over grape supply has always been essential for the Kim Crawford range and Constellation has maintained good contacts with growers in the region, ensuring consistency of quality and style.
Winemaker
Jules Taylor
Viticulture
These grapes are from the cool climate vineyards in the Marlborough region including Deliverance, Castle Cliffs and Valleyfield. A wide variety of clones and rootstock were used, along with a mixture of soils and microclimates to ensure a balance of flavour profiles and good quality.
Winemaking & Maturation
The grapes were predominantly machine harvested with a proportion being hand-picked. After de-stemming and 5 days of coldmaceration, they were warmed and inoculated with selected yeasts. The must was hand-plunged and warm fermented to dryness. At this point, the grapes were pressed and all went though malolactic fermentation. The wine was aged in a mixture of tank and older barrels for just over five months.
Tasting Note
Good depth of bright ruby colour, it has perfumes of black cherries and red currants on the nose, with hints of smoke and a little oak. On the palate, the juicy, cherryish fruit is to the fore, with ripe, soft tannins and a clean, succulent finish.
