Escarpment Te Rehua Pinot Noir 2022

Located in the Martinborough region, on the south coast of New Zealand's North Island, Escarpment vineyard spans the alluvial terraces of the Te Muna Valley, near the Huangarua River. The Te Rehua Pinot Noir cuvée comes from selected plots around the Barton Vineyard area, benefiting from a cool, windy climate conducive to slow ripening. The gravel, silt, and clay soils ensure good drainage and promote the refined expression of Pinot Noir in an elegant and structured style.

The grapes for this Pinot Noir are hand-picked from the Te Rehua vineyard, then destemmed and placed in vats with partially whole clusters for spontaneous fermentation by indigenous yeasts. Maceration takes place in open vats with regular punch-downs to delicately extract color and tannins. After devatting and pressing, the wine is transferred to French oak barrels, including a proportion of new wood, for extended aging on fine lees before bottling at the estate.

This wine reveals notes of black cherry, raspberry, and plum, supported by floral touches of violet and peony, as well as spicy nuances of pepper and clove. Woody accents of toasted oak and smoke complete the bouquet. On the palate, the texture is silky, carried by a fresh acidity and fine tannins, with a long and savory finish that highlights the purity of the fruit.

Introduced in 1819, vine growing was greatly developed by Jean-Baptiste Pompallier, a French Marist missionary. Sent to Oceania in 1837, he settled there from January 1838 onwards to develop New Zealand's vineyards. The first quality vineyards were established in the Hawke's Bay region in the 19th and early 20th centuries. After setbacks caused first by phylloxera and then by the First World War, the vineyards began to expand again during the Second World War, when their area doubled. Today, New Zealand has 10 main wine regions spread across the North and South Islands, the largest of which is Marlborough. Most of New Zealand's wine regions have a maritime climate. The country's long, narrow shape means that vineyards are never more than 120 km from the coast, and most are much closer than that (with the exception of the semi-continental Central Otago region). A spine of mountains running down the centre of the country shields most of the main wine regions from the strong westerly winds off the Tasman Sea known as the "Roaring Forties". Because of these winds, there are few wine regions on New Zealand's west coast. The quality and reputation of New Zealand wines are well established. Indeed, the country produces some of the best and most renowned Sauvignon Blanc in the world. And it is no coincidence that New Zealand has made Sauvignon Blanc its emblem, just like its sheep, its kiwis and its legendary haka!