Winemaker Notes
The powerful fruit expression is the most recognizable feature of a Marlborough Pinot Noir. Characteristics of red and black cherry dominate the flavor profile. The Astrolabe Marlborough Pinot Noir is made from a variety of Pinot Noir clones from vines grown across the wider Marlborough wine region: from the Waihopai and Brancott Valleys in the Wairau’s Southern Valleys Pinot Noir region, further south to the blustery Awatere valley and right down to Astrolabe's most coastal vines, on Marlborough’s southern Kekerengu Coast.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Plump raspberry and cherry fruit lead in this Pinot. The fruit is woven through with notes of baking spice, flowers and tar. The palate is round, with plump fruit and savory spice. Firm tannins harmonize with fresh acidity. Drink now. Share a Splash
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Decanter
Developed, meaty notes on the nose with savoury dried herbs and touches of flowers and toasty oak. Dry, with firm tannins.
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.