We are Rob and Kate Burley and since 2019 we have been organically farming a picturesque 5.5 Hectare vineyard in Nelson, planted with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris & Riesling.
Luta wines are a recent addition to our Unkel Wines range and are wines made from a selection of barrels that we believe tell the story of the unique Moutere clays and the organic vineyards in which these vines are farmed. These are aged for longer at every step, from barrel to tank and again in the bottle, prior to release.
‘Luta’ - derived from Lutum, the Latin word for clay - pays reference to the Moutere clays where the grapes are grown. We are so fortunate to farm in such a beautiful area and the resulting wines are something we are extremely humbled to have produced from land that we are deeply connected to.
Rising Pinot Noir
2021 | ORGANIC | NELSON | 14.0%
Bright, fresh aromatics of tamarillo, strawberry, cherry, violet and a hint of old wood. This wine is plump and fleshy with bright red fruits dominating the palate. Tamarillo, blueberry and vanilla pod linger on the palate while being rounded out with soft plush tannin.
All clones were destemmed and fermented together in a stainless steel tank for 6 days then pressed and left to finish fermentation in tank before being transferred to a mixture of old french barrique, puncheon (70%) and stainless steel (30%), for maturation.
This wine was aged on fine lees for 10 months before being racked and blended in stainless steel and aged for a further 6 months and bottled in October 2022.
Shadow Pinot Noir
2021 | ORGANIC | NELSON | 13.5%
Bright plum, raspberry and rhubarb sing in unison with dried herbs and a hint of spice from a portion of whole-bunch fermentation. This follows onto the palate with a lovely combination of refreshing, mouthwatering salinity and a slightly more rustic, fine tannin.
Clone 114 - 100% Whole−bunch fermented for 3 days
Clone 115 - 50% Whole−bunch & 50% destemmed and fermented for 2 weeks
Clone 10/5 - Carbonic maceration for 5 days before stomping and leaving for another 5 days as a whole−bunch ferment
Clone 5 - Destemmed and on skins for 2 weeks
Individual parcels were then pressed to old french barriques for maturation.
Aged on fine lees for 10 months then racked and blended in stainless steel and aged for a further 6 months before bottling in October 2022. The final composition of this wine is 70% whole-bunch and 30% destemmed.
Zephyr Chardonnay
2021 | ORGANIC | NELSON | 12.5%
Fresh, delicate aromas of green apple, almond, apricot, honeysuckle, dried flowers and flint. The palate is textural and concentrated with bright stone fruits dancing alongside biscotti notes with a creamy yet fresh and saline finish.
60% of the grapes for this wine were picked from a more sun-exposed aspect of the vineyard and the remaining 40% picked from a more shaded, higher vigour parcel 10 days later. Whole-bunch pressed and settled overnight before being racked to and fermented in a mixture of puncheon and barrique.
Aged on gross lees for 10 months, then racked to stainless steel and aged for a further 6 months before being bottled in October 2022.
Echoes Chardonnay
2021 | ORGANIC | NELSON | 12.5%
Aromatics of butterscotch, toffee apple, fresh bread and fennel. Textural and creamy, with a slight oxidative edge, a hint of lemon pith and a salivating salinity to finish.
CLONES: 95 | MENDOZA | 15
Whole-bunch pressed Chardonnay settled overnight before being racked to and fermented in a mixture of puncheon and barrique. Aged on gross lees for 10 months, then racked to stainless steel and aged for a further 6 months before being bottled in October 2022.