Butterworth Layline Martinborough Pinot Noir 2020

Description

• French oak
• Raspberry
• Cinnamon spice
• Fine tannins

"Gorgeously complex and enticing on the nose with ripe cherry, smoked game, violet and subtle cedar characters, leading to a wonderfully weighted palate delivering terrific fruit purity combined with seductive savoury nuances. Silky, flowing and delectably appealing. At its best: now to 2030" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Jun 2022

"Intense pinot noir with red-fleshed plum, dark cherry, berry, toasted oak, and anise/spice flavours supported by fine, ripe tannins. A benchmark Martinborough wine from what appears to have been an excellent vintage" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Jul 2022

"Deep, ruby-red, lighter on the rim. This has an elegantly full bouquet, gently concentrated with aromas of plums and dark cherries melded with a hint of savoury, earthy nuance, and sweet spice. Medium-bodied, delicate plums, dark cherries lead the palate with dark roses, cinnamon, cardamom and sweet vanilla, unfolding savoury, earthy soil elements. The palate has concentration, fine-grained tannins extraction coated with a light, silky grip. The fruit flavours are ripe with good balance and integration of acidity. This elegant, harmonious Pinot Noir possesses an immediate appeal of ripe fruit and a silky, spicy palate" Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Reviews, Jul 2022

"Great colour and concentration with aromas and flavours of tamarillo and dark plum, black cherry and tree spices. A wine of texture and core fruit flavours, polished tannins and medium+ acid line. Persistent flavours, firmish texture, new, refreshing, salivating and well made. Great drinking from early 2023 through 2027+" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Jul 2022

Dark purple red. Dense freshly picked raspberry and plum fruit aromas interwoven with cinnamon and cardamon spice with Te Muna’s rose petal overtone. A complex, savoury, mouth filling wine with dense dark fruits and cacao. The tannins are fine boned, yet persistent, combining with the pure line of acidity.

The soils of Te Muna Terraces are deep, free-draining alluvial gravel, which are rich in minerals making it ideal for growing grapes. The climate is an extension of Martinborough and similar to Burgundy, being only slightly cooler due to higher altitude, but with long cool summers and low rainfall providing the optimum long ripening conditions for grapes.

This wine is a blend of six Pinot Noir clones sourced from blocks within our Te Muna Road vineyard. The vines are tended and picked by hand and are sustainably grown. The 2020 growing season was a very dry year with excellent diurnal temperature variation and almost no rainfall, resulting in small, concentrated berries holding great acid and benefiting from a long hangtime on the vine.

The grapes were hand-harvested and de-stemmed into small open top vats for fermentation. The cap was treated with a punch down once daily through fermentation, with all grapes getting a minimum 20 days on skins. After fermentation finished, the wine was gently pressed and transferred into French oak barrels for maturation. The wine underwent complete malolactic fermentation for 10 months before the wine was racked off solids, blended, and filtered for clarity. No finings were added.