Winemaker Notes
Deliciously fragrant Marlborough pinot noir, jam-packed with boysenberries, blackberries and kola nut, intermingled with scents of rose petal and woodsmoke. The palate is medium-bodied and bright, layered with black liquorice, plum pudding and allspice. Finely structured with intense varietal expression, the abundant dark fruit flavors are laced with silky tannins and earthy tones to give a lingering and beguiling finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Interesting aromas of flint, graphite, dried strawberries and dark cherries that follow through to a medium body with firm tannins and a fresh and linear finish. A little reserved now, but will open nicely with time.
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Wine Spectator
There's plenty to admire in this red, with pure and generous notes of blueberry, marionberry and blackberry that are complemented by crushed pine needle, loam and black tea accents. Offers terrific structure, including a fresh thread of acidity. Drink now through 2035. 750 cases imported.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Pinot Noir is light and fragrant, with woodsmoke and exotic spice, cherrywood and cocoa. In the mouth, the wine is delicate, and the tannins hold shape while the fruit flows between the folds. This is pretty. 13% alcohol.
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Vinous
The medium-bodied and well-concentrated 2022 Pinot Noir lends a savory edge to Marlborough's rich fruit. There's depth and roundness on the mid-palate thanks to the richer soils of Marlborough's Southern Valleys. A bright, acidic freshness frames the 2022 as satisfying tannins lightly coat the palate. The oak is still a little prominent on the nose and the front palate.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
An icon and leading region of New Zealand's distinctive style of Sauvignon blanc, Marlborough has a unique terroir, making it ideal for high quality grape production (of many varieties). Despite some common generalizations, which could be fairly justified given that Marlborough is responsible for 90% of New Zealand's Sauvignon blanc production, the wines from this region are actually anything but homogenous. At the northern tip of New Zealand’s South Island, the vineyards of Marlborough benefit from well-draining, stony soils, a dry, sunny climate and wide temperature fluctuations between day and night, a phenomenon that supports a perfect balance between berry ripeness and acidity.
The region’s king variety, Sauvignon blanc, is beloved for its pungent, aromatic character with notes of exotic tropical fruit, freshly cut grass and green bell pepper along with a refreshing streak of stony minerality. These wines are made in a wide range of styles, and winemakers take advantage of various clones, vineyard sites, fermentation styles, lees-stirring and aging regimens to differentiate their bottlings, one from one another.
Also produced successfully here are fruit-forward Pinot noirs (especially where soils are clay-rich), elegant Riesling, Pinot gris and Gewürztraminer.