Pinot Noir 2020

Greywacke Pinot Noir comes from one of the most renowned terroirs in the Southern Hemisphere: Marlborough . Crafted by visionary winemaker Kevin Judd , founder of Greywacke and former winemaker at Cloudy Bay, this Pinot Noir is sourced from carefully selected plots in the cool, sun-drenched valleys of the Southern Clays , south of Marlborough. The unique greywacke soil (a hard, ancient sedimentary rock) gives the wine a subtle minerality and beautiful structure.

The artisanal winemaking process emphasizes the purity of the fruit: the grapes are harvested by hand, fermented in open vats with gentle punching down, then aged for 11 months in French oak barrels , about a third of which are new. The result is a wine of great finesse, with an intense and nuanced aromatic profile.

On the palate, this wine seduces with its aromas of black cherry, ripe raspberry, sweet spices, graphite, black tea, undergrowth and smoky notes . On the palate, it offers a silky texture, supple tannins, controlled freshness and a long finish with accents of plum, cloves and truffle .

Introduced in 1819, the cultivation of vines was greatly developed by Jean-Baptiste Pompallier, a French Marist missionary. Sent to Oceania in 1837, he settled in January 1838 to develop the New Zealand vineyards. The first quality vineyards were established in the Hawke's Bay region in the 19th and early 20th centuries. After the production hazards first due to Phylloxera and then to the First World War, this vineyard began to expand again during the Second World War when its surface area doubled. Today, New Zealand has 10 major wine regions spread between the North and South Islands, the largest of which is Marlborough. Most of New Zealand's wine regions have a maritime climate. The long, thin shape of the country means that vineyards are never more than 120km from the coast and most are even much closer than that (with the exception of the semi-continental region of Central Otago). A spine of mountains running through the center of the country protects most of the major wine regions from the strong westerly winds from the Tasman Sea known as the "Roaring Forties". Due to these winds, there are few wine growing regions on the west coast of New Zealand. The quality and reputation of New Zealand wines is well established. Indeed, this country produces some of the best and most recognized Sauvignon Blanc in the world. And it is no coincidence that New Zealand has succeeded in making Sauvignon blanc its symbol, just like its sheep, its kiwi and its legendary haka!