Astrolabe Durvillea Marlborough Pinot Noir 2022

Description

• French oak
• Red cherries
• Fruit spice
• Silky texture

Black and red cherries, forest fruits and spice. Full-bodied, with cherry and plum flavours, a silky texture and a long, dry finish.

An early budburst with warm weather through to a dry and sunny November. Rains in October and December set up the canopy for strong growth with some issues with fungal diseases. January was dry and helped reduce the mildew pressure. High February rain fall caused some botrytis issues while giving a helpful boost to the canopies. Berries sized-up with the available water, and the yields were enhanced. Although the vineyards were delicately poised regarding botrytis pressures, a dryish March and April allowed our fruit to attain targets for flavour and maturity in good condition.

The fruit was largely hand-picked, with a small portion machine picked at night, then de-stemmed into fermentation. A warm fermentation over 5 days followed, using wild and selected yeast with frequent punch downs of the ‘cap’, followed by a gentle pressing. The use of some new French oak barrels has added subtle nuances of spice and smoke.

Food Pairing: Duck, lamb and venison as well as roasted vegetables and dishes with tomato, pomegranate or tamarind.