Wither Hills Wairau Valley Pinot Noir

Rich brooding aromatics full of dark wild berry fruits, alluring toasty spice and subtle earthy undertones blend together in a concentrated hedonistic bouquet.

Aromas

Rich brooding aromatics full of dark wild berry fruits, alluring toasty spice and subtle earthy undertones blend together in a concentrated hedonistic bouquet.

Palate

Layers of sumptuous fruit and spice continue onto the palate with a core of juicy fruit bundled together with bright acidity and fine ripe fruit tannins, delivering the hallmark Wither Hills Pinot Noir style which, if patient, will reward cellaring for up to 12 years.

Food Pairing

It is a Pinot Noir to be enjoyed with an array of foods from smoked venison, seared tuna and Szechuan style foods through to twice cooked duck and pork belly with a hint of five spice.

Winemaking

Our two stunning Pinot Noir vineyards, Benmorven and Taylor River, make up the majority of this blend with the fruit for this Pinot Noir coming from Marlborough’s famed ‘Southern Valley’s’ sub-region. Each vineyard was hand-harvested at optimum ripeness and kept separate throughout the winemaking process to provide the greatest possible individual expression. The fruit was cold soaked in square fermenters, inoculated with selected yeast strains, basket pressed and left to relax for 14 months in French oak barriques, during which time the wine underwent malolactic fermentation. The wine was then blended, egg white fined, filtered and bottled, resulting in a classically elegant yet opulent mouth-filling Marlborough Pinot Noir.

Viticulture

Not since 1997 vintage have we had such a cool ripening season. It was mostly spent waiting for a summer in Marlborough that never came. Surprisingly though, the plant mitigated this challenge with low cropping levels with in some cases up to a 30% reduction in fruit set. This in turn delivered a longer and slower ripening curve, showing ‘true’ cool climate conditions and thus allowing physiological ripening in balance with sugar accumulation. We were pretty much 10-15 days behind in harvest and the saving grace was April; the only month where we achieved above average temperatures. The timing could not have been better – providing wines of intensity, balance and amazing flavour.