Misha's Vineyard The High Note Pinot Noir 2019

"Classic floral varietal aromas of violets and roses, combined with exotic notes of orange zest and cinnamon, the elegant sweet-fruited palate is balanced by gentle silky tannins". Olly Masters (Winemaker)

Misha's Vineyard Wines - Central Otago

Misha's Vineyard - a 57-hectare single-vineyard estate of which 26 hectares are planted in Pinot Noir and aromatic whites. The vineyard is located in the Bendigo sub-region of Central Otago. Our first priority with the vineyard is careful stewardship of this spectacular land by managing our natural resources with respect. The vineyard is farmed according to the strict regime of sustainable farming practices and we ensure that vine health is never ever compromised. Our sun drenched north-west facing terraces give us one of the warmest sites in the region with the slopes and gullies providing excellent cool air drainage minimizing any risk of frost. Stretching from 210 to 350 metres above sea level, the plantings are predominantly on three levels of gently sloping terraces with just one steep face (the ‘ski slope’) where the rows run dramatically down to the lowest terrace poised just above Lake Dunstan.

The diversity in the soils, various levels and various meso-climates, different row orientations, as well as the range of clones planted, enable complexity in the wines that few single vineyards can match. Our land is also located within a zoned protection area due to the ‘outstanding landscape’ features including schist outcrops, steep escarpments, and gullies filled with native manuka and wild grasses.

Topography: Moderate to steep slopes, gently undulating fans and remnant terraces comprising wind-eroded and water dissected minor ridges and associated areas of loess accumulations. Soils range from outcrops of schist to very fine dusty sands; from extremely hard red boulders to pockets of sticky red clay; and from river gravels to coarse sands - even a small pocket of rich loam. These soils are very complex as they are essentially a combination of glacial outwash and river gravels but generally fit under the classification of Clyde sandy loam.

Everything at Misha’s Vineyard is done by hand – from pruning to tending the vines during the growing season through to harvesting the grapes. We have a very experienced vineyard team which expands during the busy season often with people from around the world.

We do everything possible to ensure the optimum growing conditions for our vines. During the early years, an innovative application of shelter cloth was used on the exposed areas of the vineyard to protect the vines against the strong spring winds. We also use a modified trellis system with additional foliage wires to provide additional canopy support.

Two-thirds of the vineyard is planted in Pinot Noir and the rest comprises aromatic white varietals which are so perfectly suited to the Central Otago climate. Our water comes from Lake Dunstan which is fed by snow and glacial melt. The crystal clear water is pumped up a steep escarpment and runs several kilometres along the terraces to our vineyard.

We have a planting density of 2500 vines per hectare with spacing of 2.5 metres between rows; vines 1.6 metres apart and use a VSP trellis system (Vertical Shoot Positioning). A single fruiting wire is at a height of 1 m; 3 pairs of foliage wires. Vines are mainly spur pruned at 2 buds per spur (200mm intervals). Pinot Noir yields are managed to a maximum of 5 T/ha and white varieties up to 7 T/ha