Product Information:
The 2022 Estate Pinot Noir comes from selected Home and McLeod Vineyards on the Martinborough Terrace, one of New Zealand’s most coveted winegrowing sub-regions. Deep, rich red in colour with an appealing combination of bright red fruit and savoury notes on the nose. A smooth, polished palate with a well-rounded fruit core flows to deep, rich berry fruit, spice and subtle oak. A savoury finish makes this wine a perfect match for wood fired Neapolitan pizza.
Under the direction of Chief Winemaker, John Kavanagh, the winemaking philosophy places a premium on the character of each vineyard. The grapes are harvested block by block, destemmed and vinified individually with punch-downs and gentle pressing to ensure full extraction without sacrificing elegance. Balanced oak treatment - 10 months in French oak, 10% new. and minimal fining and filtration help preserve both varietal character and the inimitable personality of the terroir.
Maker:
Te Kairanga, pronounced "tee-kigh-runga" - where the soil is rich and the food is plentiful. It is one of Martinborough's founding vineyards established over 20 years ago. In keeping with the pioneering spirit surrounding the vineyard, a number of Te Kairanga wines have hailed from Martinborough's history and that of its inhabitants dating back to 1879. Their own John Martin Reserve Pinot Noir is notably named after the founding father of Martinborough - John Martin himself who farmed this very piece of land where the vines are planted today. And likewise the Pinot Runholder is aptly named as a tribute to the runholders of the land back in time.
Nestled at the foot of New Zealand’s North Island, Martinborough was once known for its sheep farming. This pioneering region captured the imagination of a new generation in the 1980s.
Today, despite producing less than 2% of New Zealand’s total wine output, Martinborough enjoys a global reputation far beyond its modest production scale. Protected from harsh weather by a range of mountains to the southwest and west, Martinborough boasts a mild, breezy, and dry climate, perfectly suited for cool-climate grape growing. This ideal blend of geology and geography creates the perfect environment for exceptional Pinot Noir. The Vineyards With four distinct vineyard sites in the Martinborough appellation, the region offers a diverse array of aromatics, flavours, textures, and styles. The Martinborough Terrace is home to the Home and McLeod Vineyards, featuring some of the oldest vines in the area. Once a riverbed, this site is characterised by 25 metres of deep ancient gravel and alluvial soils around 2,500 years old—a unique and defining soil type for the renowned varieties produced here.
Just outside the Martinborough Appellation is the Rua and Springrock vineyards are situated in cooler, elevated areas with more extreme conditions. These intense environments contribute to the remarkable balance and elegance of the wines, delivering a distinctive Martinborough style that continues to captivate wine enthusiasts around the world.
The Vineyard:
A compact vintage due to unsettled weather. We saw budburst early in August along with the usual Spring frosts in Martinborough. An early glimpse of Summer resulted in favourable flowering temperatures and ripening for the remainder of the month. From February the rain set in, marking it as one of the wettest on record. A challenging harvest began in March and ended in April.
Grapes for this wine are selected from Home and McLeod Vineyards on the Martinborough Terrace, one of New Zealand’s most coveted winegrowing sub-regions. Once a riverbed, it features deep ancient alluvial gravel soils. Grapes are also selected from our Rua Vineyard, at a slightly higher elevation with more extreme conditions. All of our vineyards are sustainably farmed.
For chief winemaker John Kavanagh there is nothing more important than endeavouring to produce wines that display the characteristics of their vineyard source. To this end, the over 60 distinct Pinot Noir lots are individually harvested, vinified, and matured in barrels separately until final blending. In the winery the wines are individually punched down and gently pressed to ensure full extraction without sacrificing elegance. A balanced oak treatment is combined with minimal fining and filtering to help preserve both varietal purity and the distinct terroir characteristics.
Nose - Red Fruits, Savoury, Earth
Strong perfume of red cherry, raspberry, light vanilla notes, sprinkle of clove and pepper spice.
Palate - Deep, Rich Berry Fruit, Spice
Juicy in the palate, hemmed with suede tannins, vibrant expression, vital and fresh.
Finish - Sandalwood, Brown Spices, Fine Tannin
Light crunchy finish, fine tannins, clove and peppery spice comes through.
The Finer Details
Style - Red Wine
Varietal - Pinot Noir
Country - New Zealand
Region - Martinborough
Vintage - 2022
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 13%
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