Brancott Estate Reserve Pinot Noir 2023

This wine is a deep ruby hue, with an abundance of back and red fruit aromas, followed by toasty oak notes. The palate is medium bodied, with rich plum, black and red cherry, blackberry and redcurrant notes, hints of spice and vanilla, on a frame of ripe, medium level tannins. The finish is long, with roasted plums and a hint of bitter chocolate.

Serve this wine with venison medallions and earthy roasted root vegetables or try low and slow smoked barbecue meats such as brisket. Also, delicious matched with a rich, vegetarian mushroom Wellington, or simply paired with truffle Brie and crackers.

13.5% abv. Awatere, Marlborough, New Zealand.

The Awatere grapes for this wine were machine harvested. The destemmed fruit was pumped to closed-top, temperature-controlled stainless steel fermenters. Fermentation was spontaneous and kept below 32c with twice-daily pumpovers. The wine macerated on skins for up to 20 days before pressing. The free run and press wine was combined and went through malolactic fermentation. The various tanks were blended before filtering into bottle.