Three reasons to toast the 2013 vintage

5 February 2014

Three reasons to toast the 2013 vintage

It is said good things come in threes and the three newly released Sacred Hill Orange Label wines showcase all that was good about the 2013 vintage.

Sacred Hill Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2013, Marlborough Pinot Gris 2013 and Marlborough Pinot Noir 2013 are now available and winemaker Tony Bish says they are ready to drink and be enjoyed during the rest of summer and beyond.

“The superb 2013 vintage has been much talked about and will be for some time,” Mr Bish says. “These wines tell more of the story of just how good the fruit from the 2013 harvest was.”

Marlborough experienced a cool spring and early summer leading into the 2013 vintage, followed by a warm and dry autumn that created perfect ripening conditions. Meticulous vineyard management ensured yields produced quality over quantity resulting in beautiful, elegant, yet intense wines.

“The quality of the Marlborough fruit is reflected in the Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir which underwent gentle winemaking techniques to ensure we retained the flavour intensity of the fruit,” Mr Bish says.

The grapes for the Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay were carefully harvested from Sacred Hill’s iconic Riflemans vineyard, which sits high above the Tutaekuri River and produces what is widely acclaimed as one of this country’s best chardonnays.

“It was a truly exceptional year for the Riflemans vineyard with warm, dry, sunny conditions throughout the season and we believe Chardonnay drinkers will see that in the bottle.”

Mr Bish says these accessible and always popular Sacred Hill Orange Label wines may represent better value than ever to wine drinkers, given the quality of the 2013 vintage.

Sacred Hill Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2013
A greenish gold colour. A seductive combination of ripe citrus zest with fresh cream, nuttiness and a vein of smokiness from the oak. The palate is rich and seamless, finishing with a dazzling vibrancy of oak flavours and citrus.

Food match: Slow roasted pork shoulder atop sautéed root vegetables with freshly made apple sauce.

Sacred Hill Marlborough Pinot Gris 2013
Light onion skin colour. Aromas of tropical fruits such as papaya and melon with a solid presence of pears poached in baking spices. The palate shows good richness throughout with great length and a fine acid vein. Elegant and full.

Food match: Vietnamese noodle salad, with finely julienned carrots, bean sprouts, red onion, coriander, fried shallots and prawns. Mix together the juice of three fresh limes, birds eye chilli to taste, fish sauce and palm sugar, and drizzle over the dish.

Sacred Hill Marlborough Pinot Noir 2013
A rich crimson colour. Delicious cherry, plum and cranberry aromas mingle with spiced oak notes. The palate is richly weighted with firm, leathery tannins and seductive, lingering spice flavours.

Food Match: Venison back straps marinated for at least an hour in garlic, olive oil, red wineand Tuscan herbs, and barbecued over a hot grill for two minutes per side.

All three wines are available in supermarkets throughout New Zealand and have a recommended retail price of $19.99.

For further information visit www.sacredhill.com.

About Sacred Hill
Sacred Hill founders, David and Mark Mason, with friend and winemaker Tony Bish, began with a simple philosophy of making more wine than they could drink, and sharing the rest. The winemaking generosity continues – today Sacred Hill is a highly respected New Zealand winery with a range of quality, multi-awarded wines from vineyards in Hawke’s Bay and
Marlborough. With the Mason family still at the helm, Sacred Hill has three tiers of wines, the super premium Special Selection, premium HALO and popular Orange Label. For further information please visit www.sacredhill.com.

ENDS

© Scoop Media