Vavasour Awatere Valley Pinot Noir 2023

Description

Cherry, Oak, Spice

"This is splendidly fragrant on the nose with dark cherry, thyme, warm mushroom and roasted nut aromas. The succulent palate displays silky flow and supple texture, wonderfully supported by finely infused tannins, finishing long and velvety. At its best: now to 2030" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Oct 2024

Balanced aromas of vibrant pure dark cherry and plum, delicate floral notes and a toasty savoury complexity weave together evoking energy and elegance. Dark cherry and plum skin form a densely fruited palate with generous and textural fine grained tannins.

This stonier, drier, cooler & windier pocket of Marlborough, the Awatere Valley, conspires to produce distinctive, complex & intriguing wines. Marquee sites in the lower Awatere Valley are noteworthy for their wide diurnal temperature swings, contributing to strong personality and incredible balance in the wines. Soils are low in fertility with stones and pebbles mixed with clay and loam. The rainfall ranges from 279-406 millimeters (11-16 inches) a year, very arid by any measure.

Fruit was hand harvested at full ripeness where most of the berries were gently removed from the stems and put to stainless steel tanks. Some select fruit parcels were left as full clusters and put directly to tank where the fruit was cooled for a cold soaking period. The juice was then fermented with indigenous yeast strains to promote fruit intensity and texture. The ferments were then hand plunged and following fermentation were pressed off skins and racked into French barrels. The wine passed malolactic fermentation during Spring and was blended in late Summer 2024 and prepared for bottling.

Food Pairing: A very versatile wine for food pairings, enjoyed well on its own or with game meat, fresh pasta, mushrooms and dark chocolate.