Kindeli Invierno 2022

Invierno is a red wine from Alex Craighead's Kindeli project in Upper Moutere, Nelson, on the northwestern tip of New Zealand's South Island. The blend is approximately 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Pinot Gris, grown on Moutere Series clay-bound gravel soils and farmed organically. The name translates to "winter" in Spanish.

Whole bunches of Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris are co-fermented for three days before pressing into neutral oak barrels. The barrels are topped with Gewurztraminer. After several months of aging, the wine is racked and bottled without sulfur, fining, or filtration.

The result is a lighter-bodied red with spicy, stalky character from the whole-bunch fermentation, a fine-boned tannic structure, and the kind of crunchy acidity that Upper Moutere clay soils reliably produce in Pinot Noir. The Gewurztraminer addition adds a faint aromatic lift without showing prominently in the final blend.

No sulfur is added at any stage. The wine is sealed with carbon-neutral Nomacorc closures made from sugarcane byproducts and bottled by gravity on-site.