The Marlborist Pinot Noir is an ethereal, perfumed style hailing from Marlborough’s Southern Valleys. An enticing combination of raspberries, red cherries and bramble is underpinned by an elegant, finely structured tannin profile, with hints of cinnamon-clove spice and dry, earthy finish.

Fruit was sourced from two iconic vineyards in Marlborough’s Southern Valleys; the historic Auntsfield Vineyard in the Ben Morven Valley and The Wrekin Vineyard at the head of the Brancott Valley. These elevated, north-facing sites are planted with a mixture of clones including 115, 828, 943 and Abel and are grown on wind-blown, loess clay soils overlying greywacke bedrock that are typical of the sub-region. A combination of low yields and organic practices allowed the vines to ripen beautiful, black bunches of intensely flavored fruit. Picked nine days apart, the fruit was harvested by hand and transported to the winery where it was chilled overnight. The majority of the fruit was then 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 French oak puncheons and barriques (30% new). The wine was aged in oak for 12 months. The blend was assembled in March and left to settle before bottling in August.

The Marlborist is a celebration of all that we love about Marlborough. Nestled between the snowcapped Southern Alps and the Pacific Ocean, at the top of New Zealand’s South Island, the place where the founders built their knowledge and honed their craft, working for some of the regions’ pioneers. As a result, they have come to know some of the most beautiful vineyard sites and seasoned growers. The founders dedicated their working lives to the evolution, development and craft of the very best of the Marlborough region in New Zealand.

The Marlborist makes wines we love to drink, share and look forward to enjoying with the benefits of age. Drawing on an intimate knowledge of the region and sourcing fruit from some of Marlborough’s most revered vineyards and created a range that shines a modern light on classic varieties.