THE MARLBORIST PINOT NOIR 2023

Winery notes (2023 Vintage)
"An ethereal, highly perfumed pinot noir hailing from Marlborough’s Southern Valleys. A delicious combination of boysenberries, Black Doris plum, lavender and liquorice are underpinned by elegant, finely integrated tannins, with hints of cinnamon-clove spice and a dry, earthy finish.

Fruit was sourced from the historic Auntsfield Vineyard in the Ben Morven Valley and The Wrekin Vineyard at the head of the Brancott Valley. A mixture of clones 5, 114, 115, 667, 777 and Abel are grown on wind-blown, loess clay soils overlying greywacke bedrock that typify the sub-region. A combination of low yields, organic and biodynamic practices allow the vines to ripen beautiful, black bunches of intensely flavoured fruit.

Picked over three weeks starting mid-March, the fruit was harvested by hand and transported to the winery where it was chilled overnight. The majority of fruit was carefully destemmed into small fermentation vessels while a portion of whole-bunch fruit was also included. After several days cold-soaking on skins, the fermentation spontaneously commenced by indigenous yeast and was followed by gentle, daily hand-plunging. Following fermentation, the wine was drained off skins and transferred to a combination of seasoned French oak puncheons and barrels. The wine was aged in oak for 11 months before being transferred out just in time for the 2024 harvest. Each batch was kept separate until June when the blend was assembled and settled prior to bottling in July. 11 months in 15% new and seasoned French oak barrels & puncheons plus 5 months in stainless steel tanks."

91/100 Emma Jenkins MW, Decanter, August 2024 (2023 Vintage)
"A bold, high octane style with a ripe, perfumed nose packed with spice, florals and fruit, plus an opulent, supple palate with plenty of silkiness and good fruit density bolstered by oak and fruit tannins. Lots of spicy fruit on the finish and fairly good length. This is no shrinking violet but it keeps everything in balance."

90/100 Erin Larkin, RobertParker.com, February 2025 (2023 Vintage)
"The 2023 Pinot Noir leads with an enticing display of black cherries and bramble, bone broth, star anise and licorice. It is floral, too. In the mouth, the wine has the guts and density of a Central Otago Pinot Noir, with firm structuring tannins on the middle palate. The most powerful Pinots from Marlborough come from the Southern Valleys, and I bet this is where the fruit for this wine comes from—the windblown loess/clay soils provide the thrust and drive that helps define the greatest Pinots in the area from the good ones. Cocoa tannins linger on the finish."

Reviews for the 2022 vintage below…

Rated Outstanding & 95/100 Cameron Douglas MS, September 2023 (2022 Vintage)
"A bouquet of pinosity and style, fragrance and bright light red fruit scents. Additional aromas of baking spices and dry stone minerality, rose and a mix of newish and older French oak barrel suggestions. Dry, taut, fruity and delicious, a wine with texture and poise, a core of pinosity and mouthfeel, layers of wood and red apple, cherry and cinnamon vanilla spice layers. Well made, youthful and developing still. Best drinking from 2026 through 2036."