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Single Vineyard
Pinot Noir

Our Single Vineyard wines are made from grapes grown at Auntsfield Estate. Each wine shows the distinctive characteristics of ripeness, texture and minerality – qualities unique to the ancient Greywacke rock and Loess clay soils of the vineyard. Pinot Noir holds a special place in our hearts. We grow the grapes and make this wine with particular care and attention. The resulting wines are distinctive for their lifted aromatics, silky mouth feel and the powerful expression of pure fruit, ripe tannin and balanced oak.

TASTING NOTES:

COLOUR:  Deep ruby

AROMA: Fragrant black cherry and rich plum fruit is subtly lifted by layers of dark red florals and complex savoury forest floor, dark chocolate, cigar box.

PALATE:  The palate of this wine shows the concentration of the vintage. Pure flavours of ripe berry fruit and dark plum fill the pallet. This fruit is supported by powerful yet finely polished tannins giving a plush yet silky texture with seamless length.

ANALYSIS:  Alc 14% | pH 3.56   | TA. 5.0 g/L

WINEMAKER NOTES:

This wine was made with a minimalist philosophy, designed to reveal the characteristics of the grapes and the vineyard. The fruit was hand-harvested, hand-sorted, gently destemmed and gravity-fed to tank. Fermented with indigenous yeast from Auntsfield vineyard. Careful hand plunging was utilised to gently extract flavours and tannins from the skins.  Maturation occurred in French oak barriques for approximately 10 months.

VITICULTURALIST NOTES:

The 2021 season was another amazing vintage. Regular winter rainfall and an unseasonably cold spring kept cropping levels very low. These cropping levels were some of the lowest ever seen in Marlborough. Summer was very dry but stayed relatively cool resulting in healthy vines with no disease or water stress. There was a slow progression into Autumn with a long drawn-out ripening period where the fruit reached optimum ripeness in perfect harvest conditions.

TASTING NOTES:

COLOUR:  Deep ruby

AROMA: Rich Black cherry and plum fruit is subtly lifted by layers of dark red florals and complex savoury aromas of dark chocolate, cigar box and olive tapenade.

PALATE:  The palate of this wine shows a rich silky texture, which is full and concentrated. Pure flavours of ripe berry fruit and dark plum fill the pallet. This fruit is supported by powerful yet fine polished tannins giving a plush yet silky texture with seamless length.

ANALYSIS:  Alc 14% | pH 3.52   | TA. 5.7 g/L

This wine was made with a minimalist philosophy, designed to enable the characteristics of the grapes and the vineyard to be revealed. The fruit was hand-harvested, hand-sorted, gently destemmed and gravity-fed to tank. Fermented with a combination of indigenous and cultured yeasts, careful hand plunging was utilised to gently extract flavours and tannins from the skins.  Maturation occurred in French oak barriques for approximately 10 months.

The 2020 season was amazing! If you could reproduce the weather conditions of this season every year you would. Regular winter rainfall and a cool spring encouraged canopy growth but kept cropping levels low. Summer was very dry but stayed relatively cool resulting in healthy vines with no disease or water stress. There was a slow progression into Autumn with a long ripening period where the fruit reached optimum ripeness in perfect harvest conditions.

COLOUR:  Deep ruby

AROMA: Rich Black cherry and plum fruit is subtly lifted by layers of dark red florals and complex savoury aromas of dark chocolate, cigar box and olive tapenade.

PALATE:  The palate of this wine shows a rich silky texture, which is full and concentrated. Pure flavours of ripe berry fruit and dark plum fill the pallet. This fruit is supported by powerful yet fine polished tannins giving a plush yet silky texture with seamless length.

ANALYSIS:  Alc 13.5% | pH 3.52   | TA. 5.3 g/L

This wine was made with a minimalist philosophy, designed to enable the characteristics of the grapes and the vineyard to be revealed. The fruit was hand-harvested, hand-sorted, gently destemmed and gravity-fed to tank. Fermented with a combination of indigenous and cultured yeasts, careful hand plunging was utilised to gently extract flavours and tannins from the skins.  Maturation occurred in French oak barriques for approximately 10 months.

The 2019 season was characterised by warm and very dry weather. Regular winter rainfall and a calm spring got the vines off to a great start. Summer followed a pattern of warm days and cool nights with lots of sunshine, perfect for vibrant and pure fruit characters. The natural vineyard yields were very low. We focused on opening canopies and manipulating leaf to create a cool ripening environment, allowing fruit to ripen slowly to optimum ripeness in early Autumn.

COLOUR: Deep ruby

AROMA: Rich Black cherry and plum fruit is subtly lifted by layers of dark red florals and complex savoury aromas of dark chocolate, cigar box and olive tapenade.

PALATE: The palate of this wine shows a rich silky texture, which is full and concentrated. Flavours of ripe berry fruit and dark plum fill the pallet. This fruit is supported by powerful yet fine polished tannins giving a plush yet silky texture with seamless length.

ANALYSIS: Alc. 14.5% | pH 3.60 | TA 5.0

WINEMAKER NOTES:  This wine was made with a minimalist philosophy, designed to enable the characteristics of the grapes and the vineyard to be revealed. The fruit was hand-harvested, hand-sorted, gently destemmed and gravity-fed to tank. Fermented with a combination of indigenous and cultured yeasts, careful hand plunging was utilised to gently extract flavours and tannins from the skins. Maturation occurred in French oak barriques for approximately 10 months.

VITICULTURALIST NOTES:  The 2018 season was characterised by regular rainfall at key growth stages. A very dry and warm early summer was followed by wetter more challenging conditions with vineyard work focused around reducing yields and keeping the canopies open and dry. This allowed the fruit to ripen in the cooler conditions of early autumn to optimum ripeness. A season that rewarded dedicated viticulture, vigilance, low cropping and earlier ripening fruit.

COLOUR: Deep ruby

AROMA: Rich Black cherry and plum fruit is subtly lifted by layers of dark red florals and complex savoury aromas of dark chocolate, cigar box and olive tapenade.

PALATE: The palate of this wine shows a rich silky texture, which is full and concentrated. Flavours of ripe berry fruit and dark plum fill the pallet. This fruit is supported by powerful yet fine polished tannins giving a plush yet silky texture with seamless length.

ANALYSIS: Alc. 14.0% | pH 3.5 | TA 5.1

WINEMAKER NOTES:  This wine was made with a minimalist philosophy, designed to enable the characteristics of the grapes and the vineyard to be revealed. The fruit was hand-harvested, hand-sorted, gently destemmed and gravity-fed to tank. Fermented with a combination of indigenous and cultured yeasts, careful hand plunging was utilised to gently extract flavours and tannins from the skins. Maturation occurred in French oak barriques for approximately 10 months.

VITICULTURALIST NOTES:  The 2017 season was characterised by a cold spring and cool growing season, resulting in low natural cropping levels. A long Autumn produced excellent conditions, allowing the fruit to ripen over an extended period of time providing clean fruit with small dark berries. A season that rewarded vigilance, lower cropping levels and an earlier ripening period before any late Autumn rain.

 

COLOUR: Deep ruby

AROMA:  Ripe dark raspberry and plum fruit is subtly lifted by layers of dark red florals and complex savoury aromas of dark chocolate, cigar box, barbequed meat and olive tapenade.

PALATE:  The palate of this wine shows a rich silky texture, which is full and concentrated. Flavours of ripe raspberry and dark plumbs fill the pallet. This fruit is supported by powerful yet fine grained tannins giving a plush yet silky texture to the pallet with seamless length.

ANALYSIS: Alc. 14.0% | pH 3.43 | TA 5.1

WINEMAKER NOTES:  This wine was made with a minimalist philosophy, designed to enable the characteristics of the grapes and the vineyard to be revealed. The fruit was hand-harvested, hand-sorted, gently destemmed and gravity-fed to tank. Fermented with a combination of indigenous and cultured yeasts, careful hand plunging was utilised to gently extract flavours and tannins from the skins. Maturation occurred in French oak barriques for approximately 10 months.

VITICULTURALIST NOTES:  The 2016 season was characterised by moderate yields resulting excellent vine growth from rainfall at key growth stages in the Spring. A very dry and warm summer followed with vineyard work focused around reduced yields by hand to optimal levels. This allowed the fruit to ripen over an extended period of time in the cool and settled conditions of early autumn. A season that rewarded vigilance, lower cropping levels and delayed ripening in the vineyard.

 

COLOUR: Deep ruby

AROMA: Dark cherry, blackberry and floral aromas are complimented by more savoury aromas of dark chocolate, forest floor and cigar box.

PALATE: The palate of this wine shows a rich silky texture which is full and concentrated. Interwoven flavours of spice, dark fruit and savoury characters are revealed by a succulent and fine tannin structure. The structure of this wine is tight, yet rich and full with seamless length.

ANALYSIS: Alc. 14.0% | pH 3.54 | TA 5.5

WINEMAKER NOTES

This wine was made with a minimalist philosophy, designed to enable the characteristics of the grapes and the vineyard to be revealed. The fruit was hand-harvested, hand-sorted, gently destemmed and gravity-fed to tank. Fermented with a combination of indigenous and cultured yeasts, careful hand plunging was utilised to gently extract flavours and tannins from the skins. Maturation occurred in French oak barriques for approximately 10 months.

VITICULTURALIST NOTES

The 2015 season offered up many challenges but particularly a cold windy Spring which reduced yields to very low levels. This fruit developed through a warm summer and mild weather during the harvest period, allowing the fruit to ripen to optimal levels in the cool and settled Autumn conditions. A season of low crops and incredible fruit ripeness and intensity.

COLOUR: Deep ruby

AROMA: Dark cherry, blackberry and floral aromas are complimented by more savoury aromas of dark chocolate, forest floor and cigar box.

PALATE: The palate of this wine shows a rich silky texture which is full and concentrated. Interwoven flavours of spice, dark fruit and savoury characters are revealed by a succulent and fine tannin structure. The structure of this wine is tight, yet rich and full with seamless length.

ANALYSIS: Alc. 14.0% | pH 3.51 | TA 5.1

WINEMAKER NOTES

This wine was made with a minimalist philosophy, designed to enable the characteristics of the grapes and the vineyard to be revealed. The fruit was hand-harvested, hand-sorted, gently destemmed and gravity-fed to tank. Fermented with a combination of indigenous and cultured yeasts, careful hand plunging was utilised to gently extract flavours and tannins from the skins. Maturation occurred in French oak barriques for approximately 10 months.

VITICULTURALIST NOTES

The 2014 season was characterised by naturally low yields and warm settled weather with very little rainfall. Autumn produced cool and settled conditions which were some of the best seen in many years. This ripened small berried Pinot Noir with near perfect small to medium sized bunches.

REVIEWS:

  • Offering stunning fruit purity with stylish complexity, the wine shows dark plum, violet, subtle spice and almond notes on the nose, leading to a gorgeously concentrated palate that’s silky and flowing. Wonderfully composed and poised for a graceful development. At its best: 2022 to 2030. (2020 Auntsfield Single Vineyard Pinot Noir)

    94 Points. WINE ORBIT, June 2021.

  • Deep-tinted Pinot Noir, with the seductive flavours of dark-fleshed plum, black cherry, liquorice, wood-smoke and spicy oak. Impressive depth and intensity with a rich, smooth texture. Delicious now, better later (Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2017)

    96 Points and Top Rated Pinot Noir from Marlborough in 2017. BOB CAMPBELL, April 2019

  • 1 of 82 wines selected for the exclusive Fine Wines of New Zealand List, compiled by leading wine experts to showcase New Zealand wines that go above and beyond in displaying consistent quality and distinction. (Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2017).

    Finalist, FINE WINES OF NEW ZEALAND. 2019

  • Grown on north-facing slopes at Auntsfield, on the south side of the Wairau Valley, the 2017 vintage is impressive. Matured for 10 months in French oak casks (28 per cent new), it is a powerful wine with bold, purple-flushed colour. Mouthfilling and very sweet-fruited, it is overflowing with ripe, plummy, spicy flavours, with good tannin backbone, and obvious cellaring potential; open 2021+. (Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2017)

    Five Stars. MICHAEL COOPER. 2019

  • 1 of 67 wines selected for the exclusive Fine Wines of New Zealand List, compiled by leading wine experts to showcase New Zealand wines that go above and beyond in displaying consistent quality and distinction. (Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016).

    Finalist, FINE WINES OF NEW ZEALAND. 2018

  • “Very expressive and engaging bouquet with precise and forward primary fruit aromas  – dark cherry, plum, red apple and red beet. The oak signature is also strong with dark spice and toasted wood layers. On the palate – complex, dry, primary and forward. Firm tannins alondside supple textures of fruit, medium+ acidity and coarse silk textures; a lengthy and vibrant finish. Best from 2019 through 2027.” (2016 Single Vineyard Pinot Noir)

    94 Points. CAMERON DOUGLAS, March 2018

  • 1 of 60 wines selected for the exclusive Fine Wines of New Zealand List, compiled by leading wine experts to showcase New Zealand wines that go above and beyond in displaying consistent quality and distinction. (Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2015).

    Finalist, FINE WINES OF NEW ZEALAND. 2017

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