15 Minute Bottles first release was in 2021, when the collective minds behind the project released their first wine called Test Pots – a Pinot Noir from Central Otago. Varied experience in wine, hospitality and agriculture led them down a path to this project – producing the kind of bright, energetic wines that they themselves love to drink. An exposure to energetic and thought-provoking natural wines coined the phrase “15 Minute Bottle” – where a bottle is shared around a table, with a hubbub of conversation, conviviality and shared connection.
The fruit for the wines is sourced from family-owned and operated vineyards who are both certified and practising organic. I had the opportunity to taste through this range last week – here are my thoughts.
2023 Skin Fermented Riesling from Central Otago. Certified organic fruit from Mt Edward’s Pisa Terrace vineyard. Fine loam over alluvial gravels. A flinty minerality courses through the palate, with an acidity that highlights the bright citrus notes. It is quite ‘skinsy’ – the prickle of lively tannin here adds interest. Green notes and a little astringency gives a drying element to the finish.
2023 Sauvignon Blanc Fruit from Waipara North Canterbury. Silty clay over sandy gravels. Showing quite a lots of character which I think is part of the point with this style of wine – funky, oxidative, tannic and brimming with salty acidity. It feels quite european – with a rounded complexity rather than straightforward green fruitiness. An integrated set of parts that is complete and softer on the finish.
2023 Rosé Pinot Noir is from the Luxton vineyard in Eyrewell Forest, Oxford. A pop of whole bunch/carbonic personality. A pale coral pink in the glass, with strawberry bubblegum, liquorice, cranberry and rhubarb. Very dry, with a drive of bright acidity, but look out for a swaddle of texture at the back of the palate. A long finish… very good.
2022 Pinot Noir is their second edition of the Central Otago Pinot, using certified organic fruit from Domaine Thomson in Pisa. A floral spiciness to the bouquet, and a vibrant crunch of fruit that is juicy and medium-bodied at most. The fruit sits forward, supported by some supple tannins, but you could easily serve this chilled.
2023 Syrah is made with certified organic fruit from Terrace Edge vineyard’s free draining gravels on the south bank of the Waipara River. The nose has spice and violets, before you dive into a smash-able, youthful palate with delicacy and a juicy energy. There are savoury notes of olive and nori, and the tannin does ripple across your tongue, but it is that vibrancy and brio that you remember into the long finish.
