Hawkshead Central Otago Pinot Blanc 2022

Hawkshead wines is owned by Dennis Marshall. He is a 4th generation Central Otago farmer, who served in New Zealand government as the 4th minister of conservation, and 42th minister of lands. The brand itself shows the hand-sketch portraits of native birds, partly to increase the awareness of protecting native species. The wines are made from fruits harvested within Cromwell basin, namely Lowburn area.

Lowburn is significantly warmer and has a more “continental” heat profile than Gibbston. This allows the Pinot Blanc to reach full phenolic ripeness, avoiding that watery, “green apple” thinness, while maintaining the acidity the variety needs. Given that Dennis himself had been obsessive about vine management. They utilize a green harvest at veraison, often thinning the crop down to as little as roughly 25–30 hL/ha. This is an incredibly low yield for Pinot Blanc, which is naturally a prolific producer, and explains why the wine feels “concentrated” rather than just “aromatic”.

After the harvest, the winemaking of Hawkshead wines is directed by Dean Shaw. For this particular Pinot Blanc he uses 100% indigenous yeast. It’s quite likely that people that taste the wine can pick up more “character” than other Pinot Blanc counterparts. Wild ferments often result in a slower fermentation, sometimes up to 9 weeks, which builds mid-palate weight.

Once the wine had been fully fermented. Roughly 70% of it goes into stainless steel and 30% older French Barrique. This “old wood” doesn’t give it a vanilla flavor, but it provides the micro-oxygenation that builds the “durability”.  It spends about 4 months on fine lees post-fermentation. The combination of wild yeast and the small oak component gives it that “loquat and brioche” complexity.

There is about 7-8 grams of residual sugar. However it is hardly detectable on palate due to relatively high acidity presence.