91 Points – Rebecca Gibb MW, VINOUS.COM
The 2023 Pinot Noir offers red cherry fruit and an array of wild, woody herbs on the nose, from rosemary and thyme to fennel. Supple and rounded, it features gentle tannins that coat the palate. A natural line of cool-climate acidity ensures the 2023 never becomes plump, remaining refreshing and purposeful. There are no edges here. This can be enjoyed from day one for its bright succulence.
90 Points – Christina Pickard, WINE ENTHUSIAST
Cherry and strawberry juice is woven with minty herbs, cloves and cracked pepper to form a hotel soap character. It's mid-weight with quite a powerful line of sappy, herb-flecked tannins, but with enough fruit density (and purity) to hold them up. Sip very slightly chilled with a fatty charcuterie.
91 Points – Emma Jenkins MW, DECANTER
A bold, high octane style with a ripe, perfumed nose packed with spice, florals and fruit, plus an opulent, supple palate with plenty of silkiness and good fruit density bolstered by oak and fruit tannins. Lots of spicy fruit on the finish and fairly good length. This is no shrinking violet but it keeps everything in balance. The Marlborist is a relatively new label combining the talents of Rich Ellis (ex-Greywacke) as winemaker, viticulturist Stuart Dudley (ex-Villa Maria) and brand director and filmmaker (A Seat at the Table) David Nash. Appellation Marlborough Wine certified.
92 points - James Suckling, JAMESSUCKLING.COM
Perfumed aromas of wild raspberries, graphite, potpourri and forest floor. The palate is medium-bodied with finely integrated tannins and bright acidity, giving notes of dark cherries, dried herbs and lead pencil.
Savory yet supple. Drink or hold. Screw cap.
An ethereal, highly perfumed pinot noir hailing from Marlborough’s Southern Valleys. A delicious combination of boysenberries, Black Doris plum, lavender and liquorice are underpinned by elegant, finely integrated tannins, with hints of cinnamon-clove spice and a dry, earthy finish.
Fruit was sourced from the historic Auntsfield Vineyard in the Ben Morven Valley and The Wrekin Vineyard at the head of the Brancott Valley. A mixture of clones 5, 114, 115, 667, 777 and Abel are grown on wind-blown, loess clay soils overlying greywacke bedrock that typify the sub-region. A combination of low yields, organic and biodynamic practices allow the vines to ripen beautiful, black bunches of intensely flavoured fruit.
Picked over three weeks starting mid-March, the fruit was harvested by hand and transported to the winery where it was chilled overnight. The majority of fruit was carefully destemmed into small fermentation vessels while a portion of whole-bunch fruit was also included.
After several days cold-soaking on skins, the fermentation spontaneously commenced by indigenous yeast and was followed by gentle, daily hand-plunging. Following fermentation, the wine was drained off skins and transferred to a combination of seasoned French oak puncheons and barrels. The wine was aged in oak for 11 months before being transferred out just in time for the 2023 harvest. Each batch was kept separate until June when the blend was assembled and settled prior to bottling in July
