Col de l'Éléphant Pinot Noir 2020

Located on the east coast of the North Island, Elephant Hill stretches near Hawke's Bay, facing the Pacific Ocean, in a wine-growing region renowned for its temperate and sunny climate. The Pinot Noir vines benefit from refreshing maritime influences, varied soils combining gravel, silt, and clay, and a significant temperature difference between warm days and cooler nights. This environment allows for the gradual ripening of the grapes, preserving the aromatic freshness, fine texture, and natural balance of the estate's red wines.

The 2020 Pinot Noir grapes from Elephant Hill are hand-harvested, sorted, and destemmed before a cold pre-fermentation maceration. Fermentation takes place in open vats with regular pump-overs and punch-downs to extract color and tannins, followed by post-fermentation maceration. The wine is then transferred to French oak barrels, a proportion of which are new, for extended aging to refine the structure and develop aromatic complexity before bottling.

This wine reveals notes of red cherry , raspberry , and plum , enhanced by floral touches reminiscent of peony and violet. Spicy nuances of sweet pepper and clove mingle with subtle oak, with hints of vanilla and cedar . On the palate, the texture is silky, supported by fresh acidity , fine and well-integrated tannins, and a lingering finish that leaves an impression of purity and balance.

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!