Astrolabe Marlborough Pinot Noir 2018

Aroma - Ripe dark and red cherry, brambly fruits, spice and leather, with a hint of smoky oak.

Palate - A full-bodied wine with round, mouth-filling flavours of plum, brambly fruit, dark cherry and a hint of savoury herbs. The oak integrates nicely with the fruit and the silky and linear tannin structure.

The 2017-2018 growing season was the warmest since the first grapes were planted in Marlborough in 1973. Temperatures were 1.1 degrees over the long-term average. It was wetter than normal January through March and made tricky by three extended rain events. A dry period between late February and late March helped the grapes get through in reasonable condition, and the health of the canopies ensured good flavour development.

WINEMAKING Hand-picked fruit was de-stemmed, crushed and cold soaked for five days then fermented at warm temperature with wild yeast in small open-top vats. Traditional submerging of the ‘cap’ by hand-plunging was followed by a light pressing.

The pinot noir was then aged in French oak barriques for 10 months. Bottled 21st March, 2019.