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Auntsfield Estate

2020

Pinot Noir

Marlborough - New Zealand
Shelf Talker Spec Sheet Wine Label Bottle Image

About

It is quite rare that a Marlborough winery has a greater following for Pinot Noir than Sauvignon Blanc, but that is the case with Auntsfield. This is the passion of the Cowley’s and it shows with the results.  2020 was the ideal follow-up to the amazing 2019, but with more grapes & wine!  Regular winter rainfall and a cool spring produced truly perfect settings for canopy growth and budding.  Summer was very dry but cooler than 2019, resulting in no water stress on the vines.  Sugars ripened very evenly and slowing well into Autumn and was one of the latest harvests of the past decade, but with ideal ripeness.

This wine was made with a minimalist philosophy, designed to enable the characteristics of the grapes and the vineyard to be revealed. The fruit was hand-harvested, hand-sorted, gently destemmed and gravity-fed to tank. Fermented occurred with a combination of ambient and some cultured indigenous yeast strains, careful hand plunging was utilized to gently extract flavors, color and tannins over the course of nearly two weeks. The wine was pressed to French barriques with roughly 20% being new and the remainder between 2-6-years-old. The wine aged gracefully for 10 months before the blend was made and the wine settled in tanks. It was bottled without fining or filtration and just a small sulfur addition.

 

Stats

  • Grapes: 100% Pinot Noir
  • Vineyard: Auntsfield Estate
  • Vine Age: Average: 21-years-old
  • Soil Type: Loess clay over greywacke rock
  • Viticulture: Sustainable (SWNZ – Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand Certified) – Practicing Organic
  • Fermentation: Inoculated with cultured indigenous yeast – stainless-steel (100% destemmed)
  • Skin Contact: 12 days
  • Aging: 10 months in French barriques (20% new)
  • Alcohol: 13.8%
  • pH: 3.52
  • Total Acidity: 5.7 g/L
  • Total SO2: 65 ppm
  • Total Production: 2,300 cases
  • UPC: 9421020691275

Tasting Note

This has an intense black cherry and bilberry bouquet, very pure and refined, with hints of dried rose petal in the background. The palate is medium-bodied, displaying supple tannin, well-judged acidity, good cohesion and structure, and an insistent grip towards the almost broody finish. This is quite a compelling wine and should age very well.

Press & Reviews

Vinous

90

"The creamy, succulent and relaxed 2020 Pinot Noir Single Vineyard offers plum and black cherry alongside subtle floral and savory characters. The tannins are silky and coat the mouth in a gentle embrace."
- Rebecca Gibb, MW

The Real Review

95

"From a single vineyard with ancient greywacke rock and loess clay soils. Hand-harvested grapes were destemmed and fermented with a mix of indigenous and cultured yeasts before 10 months barrel maturation.

Deeply scented pinot noir with cassis and floral/red rose aromas leading to similar flavours on the palate together with dark-fleshed plum, dark cherry and spicy, smoky oak. An impeccably balanced wine that can be enjoyed now but promises to deliver more with bottle age. (Screwcap)." - Bob Campbell ONZM, MW
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Producer


Auntsfield Estate

Region


Marlborough

Country


New Zealand

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