2019 Whitehaven Marlborough Pinot Noir
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TASTING NOTE
Colour / Appearance: Deep ruby, with a crimson hue.
Aroma / Bouquet: Bright red fruits and cherry notes, underpinned with a hint of nutmeg spice and oak char.
Palate: A medium bodied wine, this Pinot Noir is full of lifted dark cherry, plum and aniseed flavours. These flavours integrate with the subtle use of savoury oak, on a bed of silky tannins that provide a long, supple finish to this wine.
Food Match: Try this wine with game meats such as duck or venison, also a wonderful accompaniment to other red meat dishes.
Serve: Room temperature.
WINE ANALYSIS
Alcohol: 13.5%
Residual Sugar: 1.2 g/L
Titratable Acidity: 5.3 g/L
pH: 3.72
VITICULTURE
Climate: This season was notable for being one of the warmest on record. Things started normally, with variable spring temperatures, wind and a number of rainy days. However, after Christmas, the region experienced a very hot, dry season. It also meant little or no disease pressure and the grapes able to picked with optimum flavours.
Grape Growing: The fruit for this wine was sourced from 4 vineyards located in the Awatere and Southern Valley sub-regions of Marlborough. All fruit for this wine was grown on a standard 2 cane trellis system. Shoot thinning was carried out during the growing season to ensure a healthy open canopy, and fruit thinning occurred later in the season to ensure all the fruit had concentrated ripe varietal flavours.
Harvest Dates: March 11th to 29th, 2019
VINIFICATION
Winemaking: The fruit used to make this wine was carefully hand harvested on a cool Autumn morning, then destemmed and gently conveyed to various small, open-topped fermenters. After a cold soak, which generally lasted between 3-6 days, the must was let to warm naturally, and fermented using the wild yeasts found on the grapes. After approximately 15-21 days the wine was pressed off skins. We then transferred the wine to various French oak barriques (27% new), where it was let to rest for 10 months. After tasting and blending we filtered this wine and bottled it on the 4th March 2020.
Winemaker: Rowan Langdon
ACCOLADES
- "Gorgeously ripe and inviting, the bouquet shows sweet cherry, game, dark mushroom, clove and cedar characters, leading to a concentrated palate displaying refinement as well as generosity and persistency. Wonderfully harmonious and delectably appealing." Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, NZ - 5 Stars
- "Crafted from fruit grown in the Awatere and Southern Valley’s sub-regions, this little banger of a pinot noir is destined for big things. Bursting with bright tamarillo, berry tea, cherry and all manner of earthy goodness, it’s ultra-fresh, frisky and fanging with flavour. Smooth, velvety textures and solid, spicy backbone make this an absolute treat to drink." Yvonne Lorkin, NZ - 5 Stars
- "Urgent and intense aromas of Pinot with dark cherry and black currant, sweet and spicy French oak with a light toasty quality adds complexity, plum and dark berries and a dry stone earthy quality. Lovely on the palate, balanced, varietal and fruity with a core of pinosity and style. Nut, spice and toasty wood flavours follow the red stone fruit, plum and currant. Balanced and well made showing off complexity, charm and style all at the same time. Well made." Cameron Douglas, MS - 93/100 Points, Excellent
- "Medium-bodied pinot noir with cherry, plum, smoky bacon and spicy oak flavours. Smooth-textured and approachable with ripe, fruit-focused flavours. A supple, easy-drinking red with character." Bob Campbell, MW - 90/100 Points
- Angie Atkinson, North & South Magazine: 4.5 Stars
- Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Wine Reviews, NZ: 90/100 Points
- 2021 Dish Magazine Tasting: Silver
