Maude Mohawk Hill Pinot Noir 2017

Planted in 2008 /220m elevation, Mohawk Hill is the name given to our Lowburn Vineyard in Cromwell, as when you stand amidst the vines and look out across Lake Dunstan the hill you look directly upon was once aptly named Mohawk Hill by the workers who came to Central Otago to build the Clyde Dam. Clone 667 / 36% whole cluster /23 days maceration — without doubt the largest and most luscious of the 4 single vineyard Pinot Noirs, ripe cherry and plum aromas — rich, round and cuddly, a definite crowd favourite.

Vintage 2017 was the coolest we have seen in 15 years. The beginning of the season and the conclusion were perfect but where was the summer? Those who live here in Central Otago will remember it as a ‘very windy — very cold summer’. The cooler conditions had a huge effect on berry size and the vines produced much lighter than average yields, down to a crippling 2 tonne per hectare in places. Thankfully summer turned to autumn, the winds subsided, the sun shone at last, the grass browned off and the light crop ripened slowly but with ease. With smaller berry size and late ripening the fruit harvested from the 2017 vintage had an intensity and power which we believe will class it amidst the great vintages of our region.