Te Kano's seeds of new life and wines
Weighty whites, powerful Pinot Noirs and even a Fumé Blanc de Noir are all on special in February this year for our winery of the month promotion.
The winery is Te Kano. This Central Otago brand takes its name, Te Kano, from Te Reo Maori and it means ‘the seed’.
The name refers to the hundreds of kowhai seeds propagated every year by Te Kano, as part of the brand owners' philosophy, which underpins their production - by looking after the environment that provides them with the fruit that makes their wine.
The aim of the regeneration of the native kowhai tree is to clear the winery’s Northburn Vineyard site from invasive pests by reintroducing kowhai.
Te Kano wines will be on special throughout all of February and we have a bunch of newcomers from this brand in store, including a stunning pure Riesling, two Chardonnays and an exciting quirky white - the Te Kano Fumé Blanc de Noir.
Taste and buy Te Kano from Central Otago
Te Kano means ‘the seed’ and there’s something beautiful about Te Kano’s philosophy of regeneration and championing native growth on the special plots of land they own in Central Otago – as well as the wines produced.
2019 Kin by Te Kano Pinot Noir Central Otago
(RRP $31.99) Special $27.99
Kin Pinot Noir is made from hand picked grapes grown on the Te Kano estate vineyard in Bannockburn, home to the winery's new cellar door and tasting room. Grapes are fermented in separate vineyard lots then blended together and the finished wine is aged in French oak for 10 months, developing spicy notes which complement the wine's red cherry, red berry and wild thyme flavour notes. It's dry and medium bodied with a smooth soft character.
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2021 Te Kano Rosé Central Otago
(RRP $26.99) Special $24.99
Hand picked grapes were delicately whole bunch pressed using a long and gentle pressure to ensure minimal colour was extracted from the grape skins. A very cool and long fermentation in stainless steel preserves the delicate aromatics and elegant structure typical of this wine, while a period of time on light lees builds mid palate texture and depth. This wine is dry, medium bodied and nicely structured with refreshing acidity driving tension and length in every sip of this red fruited pink wine.
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2021 Te Kano Pinot Gris Central Otago
(RRP $26.99) Special $24.99
Pinot Gris grapes were hand harvested from the Jerome vineyard which has naturally low vigour and sandy soils which both help to produce smaller than usual berries with intense flavours and deep phenolics, making for a structured and complex example of a classical variety. A concentrated and rich dry style Pinot Gris (around 5g/l residual sugar) with vibrant aromas of stone fruit, pear and spice.
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2020 Te Kano Land Series Northburn Chardonnay
(RRP $49.99) Special $44.99
This complex, creamy and elegant Chardonnay has aromas of white peach, melon, toasted coconut and hints of vanilla. Peach and pear follow through the palate with spicy oak building into a complex array of brioche and biscuity undertones. A hint of citrus peel keeps the palate tight and fresh. This complex wine shows lovely poise and walks a fine line between richness and minerality. This wine is made from a combination of vineyards in two Central Otago sub regions, Northburn and Bannockburn.
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2020 Te Kano Life Series Chardonnay
(RRP $35.99) Special $30.99
Dry, rich and creamy Chardonnay made from a blend of grapes grown on Te Kano’s Estate vineyards across different subregions in Central Otago. This wine is made from 100% Mendoza Chardonnay grapes, which were individually hand harvested and whole bunch pressed to tanks for a light settling. Barrel fermentation and extended lees stirring over nine months helps to build mid palate texture and complexity, prior to blending of selected barrels in spring.
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2021 Te Kano Land Series Northburn Riesling
(RRP $39.99) Special $35.99
Only 273 bottles of this succulent, lively and sensationally delicious Te Kano Riesling were made in 2021 and all the grapes were grown on the winery's Northburn vineyard. This wine is juicy and succulent in flavour with great complexity of lime zest, green apples and green herb notes, all beautifully balanced by a high but refreshingly pure 57 grams of residual sugar.
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2020 Te Kano Land Series Fumé Blanc de Noir
(RRP $43.99) Special $39.99
A complex, weighty and textural wine made entirely from Pinot Noir. Barrel fermented characters of flint, butterscotch and toast combine with red apple, peach and citrus in this unique take on Blanc de Noir. The Eliza vineyard forms the backbone of this wine, with bright fresh acidity and delicate flavours thanks to heavy clay and alluvial gravels of this block, which tends to provide relatively big bunches and berries. Grapes from the winery's Jerome vineyard add fruit intensity and structure. All grapes were hand picked then gently whole bunch pressed directly to barrel with wild yeast fermentation followed by partial malolactic fermentation and nine months in French oak barriques.
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Explore and buy the whole Te Kano range here
Pop in to pick up at least three or four bottles of these great whites and reds from the world’s southernmost wine region.