2023 Signature ‘Abel’ Pinot Noir

Limited release – only 250 Dozen Produced

The Abel aka ‘Gumboot’ Pinot Noir clone, hand picked from South Australia’s first plantings of this legendary clone, at our Mappinga Road vineyard. First departing their hallowed vineyards in France in 1974, they arrived illegally in New Zealand smuggled in a gumboot. The ‘Gumboot Smuggler’ was caught by a customs officer, Malcolm Abel who incidentally was the first to graft these cuttings in his own vineyard. Hand picked grapes were wild yeast fermented in small batches, 10% whole-bunch, partial whole-berry and 100% matured in older French oak barrels for 10 months. Aromas of dark cherry, Davidson plum and pine forest floor, with a palate layered with wild berries and allspice. Seamless tannins and a fine complex finish.