91 Pts Neal Martin - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

"The impressive Hatters Hill 2006 Pinot Noir is more sullen with brambly fruits, almost animally in style, subdued on the entry but gaining in intensity with aeration, developing an almost Northern Rhone-like pepperiness towards the sumptuous finish. This is certainly a name to watch for in the future. For a long time, winemaker/consultant Matt Thomson had been searching for a suitable site in Marlborough to start his joint-venture with David Gleave MW and when he finally discovered a triangular-shaped hill to the west of Blenheim in 2000, the dream turned reality. The regular Pinot Noir comes from the flat section of the vineyard, Hatters Hill from an elevation that rises to 175m." -91 points- Neal Martin- Wine Advocate

WINE:
"Colour: Dense Ruby. This wine has fragrant aromas of Dawson cherries and ripe plums, integrated with lifted floral notes. Underlying hints of rich savoury toasty oak characters. A medium bodied Pinot Noir, with a complex palate, rich flavours of ripe cherries and plums, complemented by smoky hints from French oak. Elegant tannins and well balanced acidity lead to a rich flavour that lasts."

"Aging Potential: This wine is drinking beautifully now, and patient cellaring will be rewarded during the next 3-5 years."-Winery

VINIFICATION:
"The fruit for this wine is sourced mainly from the hill blocks of our Delta Vineyard in the Waihopai Valley. The fruit block by block, clone by clone was harvested at optimum maturity and carefully transported to the winery where it was destemmed into small open top stainless steel fermentors. Each small batch was cold soaked for several days to aid in both colour and flavour extraction and stability. Cultured yeasts were used to carry out the primary alcoholic fermentation during which the fermenting must was hand plunged up to six times daily. At the end of ferment each batch was pressed to tank and a portion was racked off gross lees to new French oak. The wine was inoculated for malolactic fermentation and was aged for 10 months on lees before being blended, stabilised and then prepared for bottling." -Winery

VINEYARDS:
"Hatter's Hill is a selection of the best fruit from the vines on the hill blocks of Delta Vineyard, and this quality is further refined at blending, when only the best barrels are selected for this label."

"Delta Vineyard is situated to the west of Blenheim, on the old Delta Farm that was first developed in 1848 by Constantine Dillon. It is located at the mouth of the Waihopai Valley on the West Coast Highway where the steep-sided triangular shaped hill splits the wide valley."

"It can be divided in two: the 'flats' principally used for the Delta Vineyard Pinot label, making up 45% of the vineyard and the 'hills', comprising of 55% of the vineyard which rise sharply from the 'flats' to 175 metres." -Winery