Clark Estate Upper Wairau Pinot Noir 2017

Beautifully fruited and attractively expressed, the bouquet shows dark plum, cherry, thyme, floral and toasted nut characters with hints of game and spice. The palate delivers lovely weight and roundness, as well as bright fruit intensity and silky texture, finishing long and smooth. The wine offers sweet berry flavours backed by rich savoury nuances

This single-vineyard Pinot Noir was made from grapes grown in the far reaches of the Upper Wairau Valley in Marlborough. The soils there are ideal for quality Pinot Noir, with a small amount of clay helping the vines survive the dry Marlborough summers and fully ripen the fruit. The 2017 season was cool and resulted in small bunches with intensely concentrated flavours.

The fruit was crushed and soaked for 5 days to absorb the delicate aromas and flavours in the skins. A cultured yeast strain was added to begin the fermentation process, and to extract as much colour and phenolics from the skins they were plunged throughout fermentation. Once dry, the wine was pressed into barrels and the Malo-lactic fermentation softened the acidity to create a balanced and harmonious wine.