Te Mānia
Nelson Reserve Pinot Noir 2009

The Reserve Pinot Noir is Te Mania’s premier red wine produced in seasons where fruit quality achieves an exceptional standard.  The Reserve wine is made in a richer and more complex style than the standard Pinot Noir.  Pinot Noir is one of the most difficult and expensive wines to make well, but is one of the most rewarding displaying a wide range of flavours and aromas. 

Jancis Robinson selected Te Mãnia 2003 Reserve Pinot as one of her top 10 Pinots from New Zealand in Decanter 2005.  The 2005 won GOLD at Air New Zealand wine awards and was awarded 95/100 points by Bob Campbell (MW).  2006 was selected by Qantas for their business class passengers. 2008 awarded Gold at Sydney International.

Nose:  Spicy sweet cherry aromas combining with a delicate violet herbal and note and chary oak.

Palate:  The palate shows rich black cherry, red currants and plum fruit characters backed by fine fruit tannins and spicy oak.  A smooth, well-structured Pinot Noir with a long lingering complex finish that will continue to develop over several years cellaring.

Vintage:  Intensive viticulture, including bunch thinning and hand leaf plucking, ensures maximum exposure of the grapes to the sun and encourages optimum ripeness and flavour development within the grapes.  Selected rows of Pinot Noir clones 115, 777 and 5 were managed in the vineyard to produce a low yielding crop of 1.6 tonnes per acre.  All the grapes are hand picked. 

At the winery the grapes were destemmed and crushed then transferred to small open top fermenters.  After maceration for a week, ferment commenced with indigenous yeasts.  Traditional hand plunging of the cap was carried out throughout the ferment, and after approx 10 days post-ferment maceration, the wine was transferred to French Barriques (40% new).   The wine was left in barrel to naturally go through full malolactic fermentation in the spring as the temperature rose.  It was then blended, filtered and bottled in the following year.

Diet:  suitable for vegetarian diets

Alcohol: 14 %                 

Acidity:  5.4 gms/L

Awarded a pure Silver Medal at the Bragato wine awards 2011

Awarded a Silver Medal at the NZ International Wine show

"An opulent Pinot displaying ripe cherry, plum and spice characters with a touch of dried herb notes. The palate is expansive and weighty showing silky texture and supple tannins. A sumptuous Pinot with lovely complexity.«««« ½Stars, 90 points"

- Sam Kim, Wine Orbit

"Full-flavoured, with ripe plum, spice and dried herb characters, gently seasoned with toasty oak Finely balanced.««««Stars"

- Michael Cooper, Winestate

"Light ruby-red colour with a light garnet edge, this has a soft, full bouquet of mushrooms, forest floor and truffles, along with oak spices and cedar, all underlined by aromas of savoury soft red berry fruits. Full-bodied, this has a complex, deeply-flavoured amalgam of earthy red berry fruits, game and mushrooms, enlivened by fresh acidity. The palate is sweet at the core, and supple tannins provide good support, giving the wine a long, lingering, spice-infused finish. Made from clones 115, 777 and 5, fully-destemmed and cold soaked, indigenous yeast fermentation initiated and carried through to 14.0% alc., the wine aged in 40% new French barriques. This will be a wine to drink over the next 4-5+ years with Middle Eastern and Mediterranean influenced cuisine.

18.0-/20 «««« Stars" - Raymond Chan, Jul 2011

"Classic Burgundian colour and heady, intoxicating, cherry, chocolate and hedgerow aromas.  In the mouth it has upfront savoury spices, flavoursome rhubarb and plum flavours which pave the way for silky, textural length of flavour that lasts and lasts. Lovely stuff." - Yvonne Lorkin 2011

Price: $35.99 per bottle. > ORDER NOW