FORAGER PINOT NOIR 2023

The ‘Forager’ label is the exciting family wine project of talented and thoughtful winemaker Dominic Maxwell at Greystone Wines in the Waipara Valley, North Canterbury. Dominic was awarded 2018 New Zealand Winemaker of the Year for his high quality wines and this is his personal project that lets him express his individual take on Pinot Noir.

Dominic intends to take the natural process of winemaking to a new level by conducting wild fermentation in the vineyard so that the indigenous yeasts of the vineyard can work thoroughly in their natural environment to truly express the actual vineyard site and "the essence of the land” as Dominic puts it.

Winery notes (2023 Vintage)
"This is the eleventh release of Forager Pinot Noir. 2023 was such a balanced season. A combination of favourable conditions at flowering and a dry harvest provided fruit with lovely harmony and flavour. As always considerable time was spent in the vineyard ensuring each vine carried a balanced load of fruit. Hours spent hand tending the vines was carried out by vineyard owners Andy and Jill Black. The fruit was hand picked at the end of March in the midst of a beautiful Autumn and left to ferment outside in the vineyard then rest on skins for one month before a very gentle press to French oak barrels. The wine was aged for 15 months in barrels before bottling without fining or filtration."

5 Stars & 96/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, February 2026 (2023 Vintage)
"Wonderfully styled and seductively expressed, the wine shows dark berry, dried herb, warm mushroom, and toasted spice aromas on the nose. The palate displays excellent weight, a plump mouthfeel, and a soothing texture, beautifully framed by layers of fine tannins, resulting in a splendidly structured, sustained, engaging finish. At its best: now to 2035."

Rated Outstanding & 95/100 Cameron Douglas MS, February 2026 (2023 Vintage)
"Complex, fragrant and detailed bouquet led by scents of mineral and tilled soils, chalk then a fine savoury led fruit package. Cherry and wild raspberry, forest flowers and heirloom red apple skin, some plum and a mix of baking spices. A totally delicious wine packed with finesse and textures from polished tannins and leesy mouthfeel. There’s a positive reductive seam adding further mouthfeel and complexity. Length and lively, a delicious wine. Best drinking from day of purchase through 2033."

5 Stars & 95/100 Sammy Wilkinson, Wine Writer, April 2026 (2023 Vintage)
"Perfumed and lifted, with a pronounced, complex nose of red cherry and wild strawberry, layered with rose, lilac and violets, over ferrous earth, crushed rock and an iron-like core – with subtle spice and smoke suggesting lees and older barrels over new oak. Light-bodied with high acidity, the palate is tightly coiled and taut, with red fruit, fine-grained, ripe tannins, and a lightly saline edge on the finish. Savoury and structural, with both finesse and personality – a Pinot Noir that rewards your attention, rather than giving it all away upfront."