Pinot Noir

Price: $45 per bottle

Classic rack of lamb, Herb roasted turkey wild mushroom gravy, Poached chicken and vegetables, Coq au vin, Sirloin steak with shallot sauce

With perfect December flowering conditions, the hottest January on record and the wettest February by far, vintage 2018 was ripe with challenges. Tropical cyclones in late summer, a sunny but wet March returning to average conditions in April. In the end it was Marlborough’s warmest ever growing season and for those who took necessary actions to prevent disease the quality was high. At 313,038 tonnes, the region’s growers handled 77.4 per cent of New Zealand’s total grape harvest.

Price: $58 per bottle

Fermented in stainless steel open-top fermenters with selected yeast. Punched down 2 times per day, followed by an extended maceration. 100% whole bunch gently pressed in traditional basket and transferred into 40% new French oak for 10 months maturation with lees contact. Minimal fining to preserve concentration and texture.

Seared duck breast with cherry and port reduction, Coq Au Vin, Chanterelle Risotto, Roast Cornish hen with sage butter, Baked Camembert with berry compote.

A mild spring allowed the vines to escape frost free, while good ground moisture led to an early flowering. The last significant rain was on the 18th of December with only 21mm between then and the end of harvest, the lowest total rainfall on record for this period in 79 years! Temperatures in January and February were more moderate than 2019, which alleviated some of the effects of drought. The dry weather and above average Growing Degree Days lead to clean, perfectly ripe fruit.

Price: $58 per bottle

The grapes were destemmed and crushed with 3% stem retention for a subtle enrichment of tannins and layers of spice and black tea. After three days of cold soaking, the must was transferred to open top fermenters, warmed and innoculated with yeast which we carefully selected from fermentations in the Burgundy region of France. The fermenters were hand plunged twice a day and then held for extended maceration at end of primary fermentation. Malo was initiated before being gently pressed and finished in barrel. Elevage was conducted in 40% French oak barrels for added complexity. Finally, the individual parcels were graded and assembled before blending and bottling.

Classic rack of lamb, herb roasted turkey wild mushroom gravy, poached chicken and vegetables, coq au vin, sirloin steak with shallot sauce.

Late spring frosts and some challenging weather during flowering resulted in reduced crop levels across the region. These moderate crops combined with warm settled weather throughout the mid to later stages of the growing season provided perfect conditions to deliver pristine fruit, and earlier than we have ever experienced. The clear, warm days continued right through March enabling us to pick small parcels of perfectly ripe fruit at our leisure without any pressure from the elements.