Wild Irishman 'Alexandra' Pinot Noir 2020 (Magnum 1.5L)

From the long established Three Miners vineyard on the south bank of the mighty Clutha river, this is our newest single vineyard label. The 20 year old vines are planted in shallow, free draining sandy loam over stony gravels at Earnscleugh in the heart of historic gold mining country. The vineyard is flanked on one side by piles of tailings left by gold dredges and is just a few kilometres from where Central Otago’s first vines were planted in the 1860s. Since this wine was harvested we have acquired a 3.5 ha vineyard just a few hundred metres from Three Miners but directly across the river on the north bank. This property is destined to become the long term home of Wild Irishman and we can’t wait to explore the north bank- south bank differences in wines from the two sites. First vintage from the new property will be this year.

From the moment we picked the Three Miners fruit last year we were happy to welcome this vineyard into the Wild Irishman line-up. The 2020 vintage is unmistakably Alexandra which for me is defined by supple fruit with a minerality that gives the wine a steely backbone. The nose is dark cherries and plums but the gold tailings and gravel soils have a big influence on the way these vines grow and ripen. The mineral energy gives the wine a bright almost luminous quality.