Escarpment Pahi Pinot Noir 2022

The Pahi cuvée comes from a single vineyard on Te Muna Road, near Martinborough, at the southern tip of New Zealand's North Island. Owned by Escarpment and neighbouring the estate, the site lies on the famous Martinborough Terrace, in an open landscape looking towards the Aorangi Ranges. The vines, planted in 2003, find their balance in loose, free-draining alluvial gravel soils. This setting gives the Pinot Noir an expression that is at once ripe, precise and mineral, true to the fresh, luminous character of Martinborough.

The grapes are harvested by hand over two days and come from clones 115, Clone 5 and Abel. Fermentation takes place in traditional open-top vats with native yeasts; the must is punched down by hand once a day and time on skins lasts 28 days. After pressing, the wine is aged for 20 months without racking in French barriques, 30% of them new. It is then bottled without fining or filtration, to preserve its supple mouthfeel.

This wine reveals notes of goji berries, red fruit, pomegranate, orange zest, dried apricot, anise, vanilla, clove, pink peppercorn and sweet spices. Hints of shortcrust pastry and a mineral backbone complete this expressive bouquet. The medium-bodied palate combines a flavoursome, supple texture with fine, slightly chewy tannins that bring a silky feel and a fresh, lingering, spicy finish.

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 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 production setbacks caused first by phylloxera and then by the First World War, the vineyard began to expand again during the Second World War, when its area doubled. Today New Zealand has 10 major 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 backbone of mountains running through the centre of the country shelters 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 acclaimed 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!