new zealand martinborough
Grape variety: Pinot Noir
"Aprentis = trainee" is built from a relatively young section of the tree. Hand-picked and rigorously selected, the grapes are cold soaked and fermented with wild yeasts (20% whole bunch). A total of 11 days of skin contact. Aged for 10 months in old French barrels and bottled with a very small amount of antioxidants (30ppm). Unfiltered, no clarifiers used. Deep ruby red with bright edges. Black fruits such as plums and gorgeous red fruits. Layered flavors of complex elements such as earth, spice and fruit. Drink now - ideally aged for at least 5 years.
DEVOTUS
“Devoted to PinotNoir”- As the word implies, Don McConachy is obsessed with Pinot Noir and pursues only Pinot Noir. Devotos (meaning "to do" in Latin) is a very small winery founded in 2014 by the Don in Martinborough Terrace, one of the world's leading Pinot Noir breweries. Only Pinot Noir is cultivated and produced, and the average annual production volume is only about 500 boxes in total (and it is sold out every year only by reservation).
Don is 49 years old (as of 2019), was born in a family of ranches that raise livestock and grains in NZ, and majored in mechanics and engineers at university. Having worked as an engineer in 58 countries for 21 years after graduating, he has a unique career. However, during those 21 years, I had the opportunity to be involved in many vineyards in the wine-producing regions of France and Italy. is born from a vineyard that is full of love and perfectly taken care of by the manager." In particular, I was fascinated by Pinot Noir, where this tendency is prominent, and I had a dream to grow Pinot Noir in my hometown and with my own hands.
In 2012, Don returned to New Zealand with his wife. Although he seeks the land for the best Pinot Noir he thinks, Pinot Noir is not required for truly great quality unless it is a field with soil and climate suitable for the varietal characteristics (half-way Pinot). (He can't make noir.) However, what was destined for him was the ideal “Martinborough Terrace (gravel quality with good drainage)” for cultivating Pinot Noir in NZ, where two wineries he loves, “Dry River”. Pinot was planted in the early days of Martinborough as a wine production area (that is, as old as possible), and a 3ha field located "between" and "AtaRangi" was put up for sale. Don thanked fate and bought the land and named the field "Devotus" (first release in 2014).
Don was lucky enough to get the best vineyards, and another stroke of luck came his way. It was an encounter with NZ's most brilliant young brewer "Alex Craighead". In NZ, where there is still a lot of human intervention in winemaking, and the individuality of brewing techniques is often seen in wines rather than the original voice of the land, Alex is pursuing a wine that emphasizes terroir with a natural approach. The construction matches the ideal that Don seeks. Alex was also fascinated by the potential of the fields owned by Don and has been involved as a consultant to this day.
Only Pinot Noir (Clone is Dijon667, 777, 114, 115, Abel & Pommard) is planted in the 3ha field owned by Don, and the oldest one is over 30 years old. . In the fields with thin layers of topsoil along the river and well-drained soil containing a lot of stones (so the roots grow deep), no irrigation is used, no chemical pesticides including herbicides are used, and the fields are managed organically. (no authentication). Yields are extremely low (4.75t/ha for 2018 Devotus) and Don's focus is on how to maximize the potential of the grapes, so he spends most of his time in the field (Don is proud of himself). Called "Vigneron").
In contrast, the spirit of “hands-off” is seen in winemaking. Harvested with the best possible quality, the grapes are fermented with wild yeasts and neither sugar nor acid is used. No new barrels or fining agents are used, and only a very small amount of antioxidants (about 30ppm) are added. Of course, it doesn't mean to neglect it. The Pinot Noir of Devotos, which is born in this way, is sold out every year only by accepting reservations due to its limited production volume. At that time, all the stock in Japan was sold out, so we waited for a whole year before we could finally import and introduce it.
