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This wine forms part of the single-vineyard series of Mahi, which are wines chosen to express the particular vineyards from which they come. The grapes are handpicked and the wines made in as natural a method possible, with the focus being on gentle handling and indigenous yeast ferments.
The 2007 vintage was a particularly exciting one for all of us at Mahi as it was the first one in our new winery, the first of many, so it felt very special. We were fortunate to have a great team throughout, working with winemakers who we had previously done vintages with. This meant we could trust them to work the long hours required, handle any obstacles thrown our way, and also show the attention to detail that is necessary at this important time.
We were also very lucky as the weather worked in our favour ensuring there was no climatic or disease pressure forcing us to pick when we didn’t want to. Earlier in the season the cool temperatures during flowering meant that crops were generally low. This suits the style that we aim for at Mahi, allowing the grapes to ripen fully and providing wines with great palate weight.
This wine comes from a small hillside parcel on the southeast boundary of the township of Blenheim. The vineyard is run by Perry and Stephanie Gilbert, who also live on the property, ensuring great attention to detail. The north-facing aspect means that the grapes ripen well and are often some of the earlier grapes of our vintage.
In 2007 the fruit was harvested on March 22nd, meaning it was the first Mahi fruit into the new winery. The hand-picked grapes were whole-cluster pressed and taken to both French barriques and tank for fermentation. The barrel portion went through ferment with indigenous yeast, helping add to the complexity and texture. The wine was left on yeast lees for eleven months, which were stirred regularly. This meant that the yeast added both savoury notes and also served to work as a natural fining agent. It was kept in barrel and tank for 11 months before racking and bottling.
The wines of Mahi are not rushed to bottle and we believe that with correct storage this wine will continue to develop in interest and complexity.
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