Intense, expressive, fruit-driven. Native to Burgundy and notoriously fickle, the Pinot Noir grape has found a home away from home in New Zealand.
Pinot Noir is predominantly grown in the cooler southerly regions: Wairarapa, Marlborough, Nelson, North Canterbury and Central Otago.
Marlborough’s diurnal temperature variation, unique glacial terroir, sheltered location and proximity to the ocean has contributed to the incredibly unique character of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir and has driven extraordinary international demand allowing New Zealand’s wine industry to blossom. Central Otago also has a long (for New Zealand) history as a producer of quality stone fruit, particularly cherries. Significantly further south than all other wine regions in New Zealand, it benefits from being surrounded by mountain ranges which increases both its daily and seasonal temperature variations, making the climate ideal for growing Pinot Noir. Most NZ Pinots have a splash of black cherry or strawberry flavour, complemented with violet and cloves.
New Zealand Pinot Noir
New Zealand Merlot and Cabernet Blend
Today, Merlot is the second most planted red variety after Pinot Noir. Increasingly New Zealand Merlot is notable for its purity of fruit expression.
Cabernet Sauvignon predominant reds are well structured and display classic blackcurrant and spice flavours, often with a touch of mint. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blends have a long history in New Zealand, dating back to the mid-1800s. Typically, these Bordeaux blends come from the hotter and drier regions of New Zealand, largely Auckland and the Hawke’s Bay Region. Hawke’s Bay is New Zealand’s oldest and second-largest wine region.
New Zealand winemakers in that region craft elegant, structured yet powerfully intense, red wine blends by augmenting the structure and finesse of Cabernet Sauvignon with the full, ripe fruit of Merlot. These blends are exciting and approachable when enjoyed young, but are also worth holding onto, as they acquire complexity with age.
New Zealand Syrah
Distinguished by its bright, spicy flavours and elegant texture, you’ll instantly appreciate the intense varietal distinctiveness of New Zealand Syrah.
Syrah is a red wine star of the future, yielding dark, weighty, intensely varietal wines, crammed with plum and black pepper flavours. Aromatic and spicy flavours with elegance.