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AWARDS

93 Points - Robert Parker - Erin Larkin

The 2023 Pinot Noir is a little reductive on the nose and shows an array of black spices and fruit. The fruit is from the Muirkirk vineyard, with 35% whole-bunch fruit. No new oak was used in this wine, nor in the 2021, and this bodes so well for the tannins that I perceive on the palate. This is firm and structural; the tannins provide shape and flex for the fruit. It's really good. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

ABOUT

A pure, unbridled expression of Central Otago Pinot Noir — vibrant, structured, and deeply rooted in place.

This wine comes from the Muirkirk Vineyard on Felton Road, in the heart of Bannockburn. The site is a patchwork of wind-blown loess, silty clay, and dense clay-loam over layers of schist and quartz gravels — a classic Bannockburn soil profile that offers both power and precision. These soils lend natural concentration, fine tannin structure, and a deep sense of minerality to the wine.

Hand-picked Clone 5 Pinot Noir was wild fermented with 30% whole bunch. Ferments were gently worked — pumped over and only lightly plunged — to preserve finesse and avoid over-extraction. After 30 days on skins, the wine was pressed and matured in French oak barrels (10% new) to add subtle depth without overshadowing the vineyard character.

Bright, energetic and focused, with silky tannins and a long, mineral finish. A wine that speaks clearly of Bannockburn and the soils of Muirkirk.