Biodynamic Pinot Noir from the Pisa Range in Central Otago. This is Burgundy meets Otago in style, with dark cherries and herbal spice notes on the nose and a medium palate of further dark cherries, licorice spice and nutty oak elements. Acid, tannins and fruit all in balance and delivered in a lush velvet mouthful.

Pair with duck, pork beef and lamb over the next four years.

Commercial Description

made from fruit sourced from Ballochdale in the Awatere Valley. Proudly sitting 300m above sea level, the vineyard’s spectacular inland location provides the most desirable conditions for producing wines of identity and intensity.

Čuvar Guardians Pinot Noir 2023 is the first wine Sir George made from this vineyard he acquired in 2023. This wine displays vibrancy and a ripe red fruit profile typical of the regions, along with added depth, structure and spicy nuances from ageing in French oak barriques. While still youthful, the wine already shows nice complexity from the oak maturation and will age gracefully well into the end of the decade.

This bright ruby red Pinot Noir has aromas of ripe red cherry, cranberry and accented hints of savoury earthiness.

Rich, inky, dark plum coloured wine with intense aromas of cherry, cranberries and raspberry, complemented by an earthy herbal note. The sumptous palate offers baked rhubarb, damson plums and savoury notes, with a strong backbone of chalky fine drying tannins and focused acidity. It?s nicely integrated, complex, with excellent balance and persistent length - Simply stunning!

Pet Nat! A co-ferment of all of the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes we harvested at Netherwood, bottled whilst fermenting during the 2022 harvest. A rare wine and vintage. Rose gold-apricot hue. Effervescence aromas with white peach, apricot and subtle honey notes. The palate is vibrant, fresh and steely with a fine mousse and lingering crisp finish.  Dry (extra Brut) and alive. Zero sulphur.

Churton Pinot Noir  

WINEMAKING
The grapes were 100% handpicked and gravity fed into open top fermenters with 20% whole bunch inclusion. The skins were gently pumped over twice a day. The total time on skins was 21 days before being gently pressed off and matured in French oak for 16 months. The wine went through 100% malolactic fermentation in early spring before blending and bottling.


TASTING NOTES
On the nose fragrant and bright aromas of red liquorice, rose petals, dried spices, cranberries, cherries and blackberries. On the palate a core of wild strawberry and bramble fruits flavours is underpinned by silky tannins and fine acidity, with a long, crisp finish of slate and spice. This wine is concentrated but elegant.

Wellingtonian John Porter is a lawyer by day and winemaker by night, at least that's how his small production Pinot Noirs began life when he and his family first planted vines in Martinborough in 1992. 

This wine drinks beautifully now at five years old with fresh, delicate red fruit flavours over a core of savoury complexity and great structure providing length and texture to this wine. We think it represents great value for money and still has further time to evolve in the bottle, for those with the willpower to do so.

All the grapes in this wine were hand picked, fermented in small tanks and aged in French oak with a modest proportion of new oak. 

This exciting Alexandra Pinot Noir is made from grapes grown on warm, north facing slopes across the Clutha River from Alexandra township on Earnscleugh Road on a site that was known for the early establishment of grape vines in the 1870s during the goldrush. It's the area of Central Otago that most attracted the shareholders, a group of friends who collectively own the vineyard and Grasshopper Rock wine brand.

Pinot Noir is the only wine they produce and theirs has a history of exceptionally elegant aging, thanks to its high acidity (a direct expression of the cool climate here) and its savoury, earthy flavours as it develops in the bottle.

This wine drinks beautifully now and has a long life ahead, for those with willpower. 

Great Central Otago Pinot Noir from the most experienced viticulturist-winemaker team, brothers James and Matt Dicey. This pair have produced this wine with a blend of grapes grown on the Inlet Vineyard (60%) and Black Rabbit Vineyard (40%).

The wine is fleshy and full bodied with bright fresh fruit flavour to the forefront of each succulent sip; indigenous yeast fermentation took place with 2% whole clusters, 98% destemmed and 23 days on skins followed by ageing of 12 months in barrel, 21% new oak. 

The wine contains 14.3% ABV and was bottled unfined but filtered. 

The new Dicey Wine brand is the brainchild of the well experienced Dicey brothers, Matt and James, whose parents were among the pioneers of viticulture and winemaking in Bannockburn, Central Otago, when they co-founded Mt Difficulty Wines. 

This beautifully crafted, Single Vineyard Pinot Noir comes from our 3 hectare Tussock Ridge Vineyard. Situated on the edge ofa high terrace in the middle of the Alexandra Basin, amidst spectacular mountains in the Central Otago region of New
Zealand. The vineyard overlooks the Clutha River between Alexandra
and Clyde and is located just above the Central Otago Rail Trail.

Tasting
It's fabulously perfumed and enticing on the nose, showing dark berry, smoked game, dried mushroom and hazelnut aromas, leading to a concentrated palate that's opulent and beautifully flowing. Splendidly framed by finely infused tannins, finishing wonderfully long and velvety.

Winemaking
All the fruit was hand harvested before being 100% destemmed before a long, slow maceration. The fruit was fermented slowly then gently pressed before spending
10months in French oak barriques. The wine is a selection of our best barrels of the season before bottling. The wine is filtered and un-fined.

Experience the bold character of our first Syrah release, crafted from fruit grown in the Bridge Pa Triangle of Hawke's Bay. This wine is rich with enticing warm spices, cocoa powder, and baked red fruits. The palate is velvety, featuring raspberry and plum skin, with a spice finish that makes it perfect for cosy winter nights.

Hand-harvested and wild fermented, this Syrah includes 30% whole cluster fermentation and aged for 10 months in French oak barriques. The careful winemaking process ensures a balanced and complex profile.

Ideal for sipping by a fire on a chilly evening, this Syrah pairs wonderfully with hearty dishes like venison, wild game, or rich stews.

Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir is regarded as an icon Pinot Noir from the world's southernmost wine region, the dramatically beautiful mountainous, Central Otago. This wine is made by the Dicey family, one of the first to plant grapes in Bannockburn, south of the Kawarau River. Their pioneering work in this region triggered rapid expansion in the area's modern wine history.

This wine is dry with powerful fruit driven flavours and a smooth, approchoable style, even when this wine is youthful. It drinks well now and can age for a further four to five years. 

This is the latest release of our estate pinot noir and was made from mainly 18 year old vines (Clones 5, 6, Abel, 667, 115, 777). Bright ruby appearance, and a bouquet filled with scents of place then ripe red berry fruits and dark cherry. Soft notes of toasted cedar display the 11 months of barrel ageing. On the palate, a core of deep dark fruits is balanced with hints of fresh late summer berries. The intimate touch of winemaking is evident in the light vanilla oak notes, subtle body and the unassuming but long finish. Drinking well now but will develop in the cellar for 10 plus years. 

“It's gorgeously ripe and enticing, the wine shows Black Doris plum, wild strawberry, rich floral, warm spice and toasted almond characters, followed by a wonderfully weighted palate displaying fleshy texture combined with beautifully melded tannins, finishing persistent and delectable. At its best: now to 2033.” 95 points 5 stars outstanding Sam Kim, Wine Orbit

Small but beautifully formed Pinot Noir from Central Otago with delicate red fruit flavours supported by structured notes of spice and firm cedary aromas on the long finish.

Pinot lovers will adore this spicy, earthy and juicy medium bodied Pinot Noir from Marlborough's Southern Valleys, where elevated hillside vineyard sites benefit the early ripening Pinot grape. This is a great red with structure and impressive flavours for drinking now and also for cellaring, if willpower allows.