Pinot Noir

As this vineyard ages we are beginning to see some lovely old vine characters showing through. Deep crimson in colour, the nose shows profound ripe fruit characters, exotic earthy spice notes and a hint of toasty oak. In the mouth the wine is firm up front, showing classic black cherry and damson plum fruit with lovely density and poise. The tannins are ripe & powdery giving an impression of mocha and liquorice.Structural acidity gives the wine great length of flavour, allowing the fruit to run its full course through the palate.

The best parcels of fruit from the Wairau Valleys are managed in small batches. A ?hands off? approach was used to retain colour and allow the fruit to showcase distinct Marlborough Pinot Noir character. A period of cold soaking to gently extract flavours and colour prior to fermentation. The wine was matured in a mix?chosen because it gives a unique style to the wine and helps to build complexity.

Whitehaven Wines began life in 1994 as a romantic business for a couple of corporate escapees, Sue and Greg White, who had given up life in the rat race of Auckland for another kind of life aboard their yacht. When sailing around the country, they took shelter in the Marlborough Sounds from Pacific storms and fell in love with the region. An easy thing to do when harbouring in the spectacularly pristine waters of the Sounds. They decided to settle there on terra firma once more and try their hands at wine production, hiring a winemaker and beginning a business which has now been around for 26 years. Greg has sadly passed away now, leaving a legacy as well as his wife and daughter, Sam, to run the winery. Their winemaker is Peter Jackson.

Commercial Description

This Pinot Noir is from our Ballochdale Vineyard, high in the Awatere Valley, Marlborough. This is the first wine Sir George made from this vineyard he acquired in 2023. The vineyard sits at 300m high and is one of the highest and most southerly vineyards in the Awatere Valley, Marlborough.

As soon as we released this wine, it was loved by all. It truly is a gorgeous example of a perfectly crafted Marlborough Pinot Noir. We are so proud to share it with you.

Balanced and spicy wine with flavours of red berries, such as ripe strawberries and raspberries. The flavour has hints of ginger and nougat, which is complemented by a nuanced finish that also gives a hint of coffee beans. Delicate tones of chocolate lie and play in the background.