ESCARPMENT KUPE PINOT NOIR 2018

Selected for the 2020 Fine Wines of New Zealand List

Winery notes (2018 Vintage)
"This is the fourteenth release from The Escarpment Vineyard’s close planted vineyard on Te Muna Road, Martinborough. The vines which have grown this wine have been our pride and joy since being planted in 1999. The spacing of 1.5m * 1m (6,600 vines/ha) is approaching the planting densities used in Burgundy, from where the inspiration for this wine originates.

The harvest period was cooler than normal with correspondingly fresher flavours, something we have been moving towards to gain better balance and elegance. It has created fruit harvested in brilliant condition giving ripe flavours and soft tannins.

Fermented in wooden French cuvees, hand plunged and aged in 50% new French oak barriques for 18 months. It was bottled without fining or filtration, promoting soft mouth feel and balance. The wine was given every priority during its elevation and now shows all the hallmarks of a grand young wine on release in 2018.

It is at the vanguard of Pinot noir style in the New World and should age gracefully for up to 10 years. The wine is a true reflection of both Martinborough’s unique terroir and the skills and experience of winemakers Larry McKenna and Tim Bourne."

5 Stars & 95/100 Bob Cambell MW, The Real Review, April 2020 (2018 Vintage)
"This complex pinot noir lives up to its flagship status and is clearly the best of Escarpment’s range of 2018s. Moderately intense wine with impressively layered flavours that include floral, dried herb, cedar, mixed spice and baked-earth characters."

94/100 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2018 Vintage)
"From close-planted, slightly younger vines than the other single-vineyard bottlings, Escarpment's 2018 Kupe Pinot Noir ratchets up the intensity. Floral, oaky notes complement the whole-bunch aromas, while the berry and black-cherry fruit is crisp and even a bit edgy at this age. Medium to full-bodied, with velvety but plentiful tannins and a long, dusty finish, I expect this wine will benefit from a couple of years' cellaring, then evolve positively for up to a decade after that."