Red Wines    Pinot Noir    Marlborough    New Zealand   
Wine.com - Buy wines, wine clubs, gift baskets and more
My Rating (circle) :
Date Printed: 11/21/2008
(search item no. 92197)

PRICE ON 11/21/2008: $21.99

ratings pedigree (past vintages):
2005 Wine Enthusiast rating: 89 points

Winemaker's Notes:

The 2004 season started with warm, dry conditions during flowering and fruit set. The late summer and early autumn weather was also warm and dry, and ideal for ripening Pinot Noir. The result was high quality fruit with concentrated flavors and excellent structure.

The 2004 Vavasour Pinot Noir is a deep garnet color and shows intense black plum and spice on the nose. The concentrated palate exhibits rich cherry flavors with a long, soft tannin finish.

My Notes:

About Vavasour:

The Vavasour family have a strong historical background. They can trace their ancestry back to the time of the Norman invasion of England. One of their ancestors is thought to have been a "taster" for William the Conqueror. The rooster on the label is from the Vavasour family crest.

The Vavasours arrived in New Zealand and established themselves in Marlborough's Awatere Valley in 1890. Nearly a century later in the early 1980s, Peter Vavasour took a keen interest in the viticultural developments of the Wairau Valley to the North in Marlborough. In 1985, the Vavasour family and friends decided to make a serious investment in viticulture - Vavasour Wines was established. The first vineyards (30 acres) planted in the region were on the Vavasour "home" block. The first vintage was 1989.

Vavasour has planted a further 45 acres (a total of 75 acres) and has significant other leased vineyards and contract growers in both the Awatere and Wairau Valleys. For wines bearing the Vavasour label, only the best fruit from the Awatere Valley is used, providing wines of complexity and longevity.