Estate Wines
Mt Difficulty Chardonnay 2009
This Chardonnay pays homage to a lovely balanced season, with focussed citrus aromas backed by a toasty minerality. The palate starts with a clean citrus focus, moving into an elegant mid-palate with lovely flow and precision. The wine finishes with a flourish of minerality and a lovely citrus based tang.
Cellaring Potential:
Mt Difficulty Estate Chardonnay will improve for 5-7 years given optimal vintage and cellaring conditions.
Vintage:
2009 was a vintage with excellent flavour definition – intense cool varietal flavours were evident in all the wines, with excellent concentration and typically high acidity providing lovely focus on the finish.
A cooler vintage; the volume of the 2009 harvest was down 15% on average. Climatically there was a good start to the season, but December was slightly wetter than usual which impacted negatively on bunch numbers. A typically turbulent January was followed by a cooler and wet February which slowed down vine growth. Good canopy management was essential, with canopies left as open as possible to minimise the detrimental effects of the weather. Central Otago provided its usual long, fine, warm autumn but a week into vintage a very cold spell brought on a cold response in our vines. This hurried the ripening process considerably, shortening and intensifying the season.
Vineyards:
The grapes for the wines that carry the Mt Difficulty Estate label are subject to two strict criteria: they are managed under the umbrella of the Mt Difficulty viticultural team and must be sourced from vineyards in Bannockburn. Mt Difficulty Estate Chardonnay is blended from three Bannockburn vineyards – Mansons Farm, Long Gully and Templars Hill. Mansons Farm is made up of fine Bannockburn soil and Molyneux gravels. They are drought-prone, but are suitable to deep-rooted crops. Long Gully consists of Lochar soils which have very weakly developed, thin and wavy clay pans which are deep enough to cause no impediment to roots or drainage. These are well-drained, high pH soils ideally suited to viticulture. They generally have a 30 cm depth of top soil over fine to moderately coarse gravels. Templars Hill consists of a mixture across the vineyard of heavy Scotland Point clay soils alternating with the drought-prone coarse gravel Bannockburn soils. This vineyard is by far the most difficult to manage from an irrigation perspective of all the Mt Difficulty vineyards.
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Mt Difficulty Dry Riesling 2011
Ripe stonefruit intermingled with citrus blossom dominate the aroma of this Riesling. On the palate the citrus fruits are balanced with lovely grapefruit focussed acidity; there is a plushness in the mid-palate that seems to defy the mineral acidity. The wine is dry with less than five grams of residual sugar.
Cellaring Potential:
Mt Difficulty Dry Riesling will improve for 6 to 8 years given optimal cellaring conditions.
Vintage 2011:
Proper care at all times in the vineyard and winery was the making of vintage 2011. Conditions were difficult but the quality of fruit was very good, provided the right decisions were made.
Spring was fantastically settled, which led to excellent flowering and fruit set. Usual spring conditions arrived late, and unsettled weather was the norm right through January and February! Despite this, it was also pretty warm; it was almost too perfect for canopy and bunch development, leading to bigger than normal berries, and higher bunch weights as a result. Finally some semblance of normality arrived in March with conditions settling. These conditions continued through autumn, other than one wet spell which high-lighted how tender and thin-skinned the berries were this season. In the winery it was a season where the fruit needed empathy, and the direction of the wine was dictated by the fruit.
Vineyards:
The grapes for the wines that carry the Mt Difficulty Estate label are subject to two strict criteria: they are managed under the umbrella of the Mt Difficulty viticultural team and must be sourced from vineyards situated in a very specific area - the South side of the Kawarau River at Bannockburn. Mt Difficulty has Riesling planted in Long Gully and Target Gully Vineyards, and the Dry Riesling is produced solely from Long Gully fruit. Long Gully consists of Lochar soils which are formed in older fans. They have very weakly developed, thin and wavy clay pans which are deep enough to cause no impediment to roots or drainage. These are well-drained, high pH soils ideally suited to viticulture. They generally have a 30 cm depth of top soil over fine to moderately coarse gravels.
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Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir 2010
A warm, low-yielding vintage has produced a Pinot Noir displaying ripeness concentration and balance; dark fruits of the forest dominate the aroma and these are underpinned by lifted florals and black cherry, balanced with sweet aromatic spice notes. The wine has a ripe concentrated front palate, which displays these same characters in abundance. The mid palate is fleshy and well textured, and the wine finishes with a combination of ripe, fine-grained tannin, fruit and acidity.
Cellaring Potential:
Mt Difficulty Estate Pinot Noir will improve for 7-10 years given optimal vintage and cellaring conditions.
Vintage 2010:
Excellent concentration, with the hallmarks of a warmer season – concentrated ripe dark fruit mingled with a touch of red fruit and a splash of savoury spice!
A nicely odd-ball vintage with warm conditions being over-ruled by ongoing winds and rapidly changing weather systems. Low initial bunch numbers coupled with the climatic variability led to yields being down by about 20% on average. A fantastic autumn helped bring the grapes through their last phase of ripening beautifully. Harvest was the latest we have ever experienced with first fruit not being picked till the 8th April. The blocks which are typically early were late, whilst our later blocks were harvested about their normal timeframe, leading to a very compacted busy vintage.
Vineyards:
The grapes for the wines that carry the Mt Difficulty Estate label are subject to two strict criteria: they are managed under the umbrella of the Mt Difficulty viticultural team and must be sourced from vineyards situated on the South side of the Kawarau River at Bannockburn. Each has a specific terroir, largely influenced by climate, and offers a variety of soil types from open gravels to heavier clays. They are all low in fertility, and include light sands, clays, loams and gravels. Mt Difficulty Estate Pinot Noir is blended from a range of Bannockburn vineyards, with the majority of grapes coming from earlier plantings which are predominantly clones 5, 6 and 10/5. More recent plantings are a mix of Dijon clones: 113, 115, 667 & 777.
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Magnum - Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir 2009 1500ml
This wine reflects the nature of a cooler vintage displaying great concentration and balance; red fruits of the forest dominate the aroma and these are underpinned by black cherry, Christmas cake spice and savoury herb. The wine has a dark concentrated front palate, which displays these same characters in abundance. The mid palate is fleshy and well textured, and the wine finishes with a combination of sinewy tannin, fruit and acidity.
Cellaring Potential:
Mt Difficulty Estate Pinot Noir will improve for 7-10 years given optimal vintage and cellaring conditions.
Vintage:
2009 was a vintage with excellent flavour definition – intense cool varietal characteristics with excellent concentration and typically high acidity providing lovely focus on the finish.
A cooler vintage; the volume of the 2009 harvest was down 15% on average. Climatically there was a good start to the season, but December was slightly wetter than usual which impacted negatively on bunch numbers. A typically turbulent January was followed by a cooler and wet February which slowed down vine growth. Good canopy management was essential, with canopies left as open as possible to minimise the detrimental effects of the weather. Central Otago provided its usual long, fine, warm autumn but a week into vintage a very cold spell brought on a cold response in our vines. This hurried the ripening process considerably, shortening and intensifying the season.
Vineyards:
The grapes for the wines that carry the Mt Difficulty Estate label are subject to two strict criteria: they are managed under the umbrella of the Mt Difficulty viticultural team and must be sourced from vineyards situated on the South side of the Kawarau River at Bannockburn. Each has a specific terroir, largely influenced by climate, and offers a variety of soil types from open gravels to heavier clays. They are all low in fertility, and include light sands, clays, loams and gravels. Mt Difficulty Estate Pinot Noir is blended from a range of Bannockburn vineyards, with the majority of grapes coming from earlier plantings which are predominantly clones 5, 6 and 10/5. More recent plantings are a mix of the Dijon clones: 113, 115, 667 and 777.
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Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir 2009 - Half Bottle
This wine reflects the nature of a cooler vintage displaying great concentration and balance; red fruits of the forest dominate the aroma and these are underpinned by black cherry, Christmas cake spice and savoury herb. The wine has a dark concentrated front palate, which displays these same characters in abundance. The mid palate is fleshy and well textured, and the wine finishes with a combination of sinewy tannin, fruit and acidity.
Cellaring Potential:
Mt Difficulty Estate Pinot Noir will improve for 7-10 years given optimal vintage and cellaring conditions.
Vintage:
2009 was a vintage with excellent flavour definition – intense cool varietal characteristics with excellent concentration and typically high acidity providing lovely focus on the finish.
A cooler vintage; the volume of the 2009 harvest was down 15% on average. Climatically there was a good start to the season, but December was slightly wetter than usual which impacted negatively on bunch numbers. A typically turbulent January was followed by a cooler and wet February which slowed down vine growth. Good canopy management was essential, with canopies left as open as possible to minimise the detrimental effects of the weather. Central Otago provided its usual long, fine, warm autumn but a week into vintage a very cold spell brought on a cold response in our vines. This hurried the ripening process considerably, shortening and intensifying the season.
Vineyards:
The grapes for the wines that carry the Mt Difficulty Estate label are subject to two strict criteria: they are managed under the umbrella of the Mt Difficulty viticultural team and must be sourced from vineyards situated on the South side of the Kawarau River at Bannockburn. Each has a specific terroir, largely influenced by climate, and offers a variety of soil types from open gravels to heavier clays. They are all low in fertility, and include light sands, clays, loams and gravels. Mt Difficulty Estate Pinot Noir is blended from a range of Bannockburn vineyards, with the majority of grapes coming from earlier plantings which are predominantly clones 5, 6 and 10/5. More recent plantings are a mix of the Dijon clones: 113, 115, 667 and 777.
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Mt Difficulty Pinot Gris 2011
The warm vintage of 2011 has resulted in aromas of white peach and peach blossom mingled with nectarine. The palate displays luscious stone fruit, while the mid palate is full, creamy and well textured. The wine has a rich, mineral driven finish.
Cellaring Potential:
Mt Difficulty Estate Pinot Gris will improve for 4-8 years given optimal vintage and cellaring conditions.
Vintage 2011:
Proper care at all times in the vineyard and winery was the making of vintage 2011. Conditions were difficult but the quality of fruit was very good, provided the right decisions were made. Spring was fantastically settled, which led to excellent flowering and fruit set.
Usual spring conditions actually arrived late, and unsettled weather was the norm right through January and February! Despite this, it was also pretty warm; it was almost too perfect for canopy and bunch development leading to bigger than normal berries, and higher bunch weights as a result. Finally some semblance of normality arrived in March with conditions settling. These conditions continued through autumn, other than one wet spell which highlighted how tender and thin-skinned the berries were this season. In the winery it was a season where the fruit needed empathy, and the direction of the wine was dictated by the fruit.
Vineyards:
The grapes for the wines that carry the Mt Difficulty Estate label are subject to two strict criteria: they are managed under the umbrella of the Mt Difficulty viticultural team and must be sourced from vineyards situated in a very specific area - the South side of the Kawarau River at Bannockburn. Each has a specific terroir, largely influenced by climate, and offers a variety of soil types from open gravels to heavier clays. Mt Difficulty Estate Pinot Gris is blended from five of our Bannockburn vineyards: Templars Hill, Long Gully, Bannockburn Bay, Ferris and Lytefoot. Templars Hill and Lytefoot have a combination of heavy Scotland Point clay soils alternating with the drought prone coarse gravel Bannockburn soils. Long Gully consists of Lochar soils, which are well-drained, high pH soils ideally suited to viticulture. Ferris and Bannockburn Bay are the result of dune formation from parent material blown across the river from the Cromwell flats. They are very low in both fertility and water holding capacity.
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Mt Difficulty Target Riesling 2011
Floral and ripe citrus notes compete in the aroma of this Riesling. Citrus characters introduce this wine to the palate and are then joined by ripe tropical melon and a hint of stonefruit. A moderate amount of residual sugar (39gL-1) has been retained to balance the slightly lower acidity from a warmer season. This residual sugar has also fleshed out the mid palate of the wine. This wine will richly reward those who can cellar it.
Cellaring Potential:
Mt Difficulty Target Riesling will improve for 6 - 9 years given optimal cellaring conditions.
Vintage 2011:
Proper care at all times in the vineyard and winery was the making of vintage 2011. Conditions were difficult but the quality of fruit was very good, provided the right decisions were made. Spring was fantastically settled, which led to excellent flowering and fruit set.
Usual spring conditions actually arrived late, and unsettled weather was the norm right through January and February! Despite this, it was also pretty warm; it was almost too perfect for canopy and bunch development leading to bigger than normal berries, and higher bunch weights as a result. Finally some semblance of normality arrived in March with conditions settling. These conditions continued through autumn, other than one wet spell which highlighted how tender and thin-skinned the berries were this season. In the winery it was a season where the fruit needed empathy, and the direction of the wine was dictated by the fruit.
Vineyards:
The grapes for the wines that carry the Mt Difficulty Estate label are subject to two strict criteria: they are managed under the umbrella of the Mt Difficulty viticultural team and must be sourced from vineyards situated in a very specific area - the South side of the Kawarau River at Bannockburn. Mt Difficulty has Riesling planted at Target Gully and Long Gully. Historically Target Riesling was a Single Vineyard wine but its medium style, having evolved in recent years, is best served by blending from both vineyards dependent on vintage conditions. Long Gully consists of Lochar soils which are formed in older fans. They have very weakly developed, thin and wavy clay pans which are deep enough to cause no impediment to roots or drainage. These are well-drained, high pH soils ideally suited to viticulture. They generally have a 30cm depth of top soil over fine to moderately coarse gravels. Target Gully is similar to Long Gully in that it is comprised of Lochar soils but it does also have some Bannockburn soils. The latter are soils of the Bannockburn series, formed from sluicing operations during early gold mining activities. Bannockburn soils are drought-prone due to the coarseness of the base material.
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Mt Difficulty Sauvignon Blanc 2011
An ideal warm dry autumn has resulted in aromatics of passionfruit and melon with background notes of dried hay. These aromas are replicated as flavours on entry into the palate, moving into a full textured rich mid-palate and finishing with lingering minerality. This wine is ideal for sensible summer evening drinking.
Cellaring Potential:
Mt Difficulty Sauvignon Blanc will improve for 3-5 years given optimal cellaring conditions.
Vintage 2011:
Proper care at all times in the vineyard and winery was the making of vintage 2011. Conditions were difficult but the quality of fruit was very good, provided the right decisions were made. Spring was fantastically settled, which led to excellent flowering and fruit set.
Usual spring conditions actually arrived late, and unsettled weather was the norm right through January and February! Despite this, it was also pretty warm; it was almost too perfect for canopy and bunch development leading to bigger than normal berries, and higher bunch weights as a result. Finally some semblance of normality arrived in March with conditions settling. These conditions continued through autumn, other than one wet spell which highlighted how tender and thin-skinned the berries were this season. In the winery it was a season where the fruit needed empathy, and the direction of the wine was dictated by the fruit.
Vineyards:
The grapes for the wines that carry the Mt Difficulty label are subject to two strict criteria: they are managed under the umbrella of the Mt Difficulty viticultural team and must be sourced from vineyards situated in a very specific area - the South side of the Kawarau River at Bannockburn. Mt Difficulty has only one planting of Sauvignon Blanc which fulfils these criteria, on Templars Hill alongside the winery. This area of Mt Difficulty has undergone enormous transformations prior to ever becoming a vineyard. It was formed from the gravels washed down during mining operations, and the gravels thus deposited were then largely carted away and used for road metal on many local roads. The soils across the vineyard are a mixture of heavy Scotland Point clay soils alternating with the drought-prone coarse gravel Bannockburn soils (classified as man-made due to the sluice mining). This vineyard is by far the most difficult to manage from an irrigation perspective of all the Mt Difficulty vineyards.
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Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir Rosé 2011
Our Rosé displays a lovely red rose petal, whilst the aroma displays savoury red fruits of the forest. On the palate the wine begins with rich, soft red fruits through to a richly textured mid palate; fruit and acid combine nicely to provide a clean finish.
Cellaring Potential:
Mt Difficulty Pinot Rosé will improve for 2 - 4 years given optimal cellaring conditions.
Vintage 2011:
Proper care at all times in the vineyard and winery was the making of vintage 2011. Conditions were difficult but the quality of fruit was very good, provided the right decisions were made.
Spring was fantastically settled, which led to excellent flowering and fruit set. Usual spring conditions actually arrived late, and unsettled weather was the norm right through January and February! Despite this, it was also pretty warm; it was almost too perfect for canopy and bunch development leading to bigger than normal berries, and higher bunch weights as a result. Finally some semblance of normality arrived in March with conditions settling. These conditions continued through autumn, other than one wet spell which highlighted how tender and thin-skinned the berries were this season. In the winery it was a season where the fruit needed empathy, and the direction of the wine was dictated by the fruit.
Vineyards:
The grapes for the wines that carry the Mt Difficulty Estate label are subject to two strict criteria: they are managed under the umbrella of the Mt Difficulty viticultural team and must be sourced from vineyards situated in a very specific area - the South side of the Kawarau River at Bannockburn. Mt Difficulty Rosé is not labelled under the Estate label, having been born of an experiment in 2005 when a very small crop of Merlot tempted Assistant Winemaker Roger de Grauw into trying something new. In the vintages since then it has evolved into a very stylish Pinot Rosé but the label has stayed true to its humble beginnnings. Mt Difficulty Rosé is sourced from purpose grown Pinot Noir in our Target Gully Vineyard, which is comprised of Lochar and Bannockburn soils. Lochar soils are formed in older fans with weakly developed, thin and wavy clay pans which are deep enough to cause no impediment to roots or drainage. These are well-drained, high pH soils ideally suited to viticulture. They generally have a 30 cm depth of top soil over fine to moderately coarse gravels. Bannockburn soils are formed from sluicing operations during early gold mining activities. They are drought-prone due to the coarseness of the base material.
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