Greywacke Pinot Noir Marlborough 2021  £35.58

Greywacke Marlborough Pinot Noir

Greywacke was created in 2009 by Kevin Judd, chief winemaker at Cloudy Bay from its inception for 25 years and instrumental in the international recognition which Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc enjoys now.

The name 'Greywacke' was adopted by Kevin for his first Marlborough vineyard located in Rapaura in recognition of the high prevalence of rounded greywacke river stones in the soils of the vineyard, a sedimentary rock which is widely found in Marlborough. Kevin Judd is also New Zealand's finest wine photographer and has recently published a book 'The Landscape of New Zealand Wine'.

All fruit was grown in Marlborough’s Southern Valleys and principally sourced from the Yarrum Vineyard, situated on the Brancott/Ben Morven ridge. Typical of this sub-region, the wind-blown loess soils are comprised of clay-loams with differing degrees of gravel content. The various source blocks are cultivated to a mixture of pinot noir clones, predominantly the Dijon clones 115, 777 and 667, with smaller parcels of UCD5 and AM 10/5. The vineyards are primarily hillside plantings trained to two-cane VSP (vertical shoot positioning) with a high vine density of 3,800 plants per hectare.

In Marlborough, the winter of 2020 was abnormally dry and warm, which led to an early budburst. Spring brought a handful of frosts, and due to the early budburst, yield was reduced in some sites. Cool, wet weather during flowering had an adverse affect on fruit set across the region. Hot and dry conditions during the summer only added to the reduced yields. The warm weather and smaller crop size led to an early harvest which began on the 2nd of March. The weather during harvest was near-perfect which allowed the fruit to reach optimal ripeness without disease pressure. Overall, the 2021 vintage was smaller than initially anticpated but the fruit that was harvested had excellent concentration.

The grapes were hand harvested and chilled overnight prior to hand sorting. Most of the fruit was destemmed into open-top fermenters, with the remaining added as whole bunches. The fruit was left to soak on skins prior to the onset of indigenous yeast fermentation, then plunged daily. After fermentation, the wine was pressed, racked and filled into French oak barriques (30% new). Individual clones were barrel aged separately for 11 months, prior to blending in February 2022. The wine was bottled in June 2022.

A deliciously spicy Marlborough pinot bursting with red and black cherries, ripe strawberries, plums, and juicy blackberries. These fruity aromas intermingle with spicy notes of cinnamon sticks, cloves, and a sprinkle of nutmeg. The palate is finely structured with a distinctive smoky complexity.