• French oak
• Ripe plum & cranberry
• Baking spice & vanilla
• Fine tannins

"A varietal lifted bouquet of fresh red cherry and red flowers, cranberry and fruit spice with a foundation stony mineral quality. Dry, firmly textured and new with flavours of fresh red berry, strawberry and cranberry, fine tannins and medium+ acid line, some baking spice from soil and wood then a light floral lift on the finish. A lighter bodied expression with best drinking from 2024 through 2028+" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Sep 2023

"Pale Pinot Noir in a lighter style with violet, red cherry, vanilla, cedar and spicy oak flavours. Well-balanced wine that is a pleasure to drink now" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Oct 2023

Ruby red in colour, with a youthful brightness. Layered aromas of cassis, earthy spices, black tea, fresh toast and ripe plums give lead to the palate with finely powdered tannins, juicy red cherries and fleshy plum texture that finishes long with notes of dried cranberry and black tea. Enjoy over the next 5-7 years when cellared correctly.

The 2022 Catalina Sounds Pinot Noir is sourced exclusively from two vineyards – our estate vineyard Sound of White and grower Fairhall Downs. These are both situated in the sought-after Southern Valleys sub-district and located specifically in the Waihopai and Brancott Valleys where the inherent soils, comprised of clay, sand and fine gravels create fruit with deeper flavour and intensity than typically found across Marlborough’s stonier, alluvial soils. The blocks vary in age from a youthful 6 years up to 23 years with a range of Pinot Noir clones - 777, 667, 115, 5, Abel and 943 that attribute a diverse spectrum of aromas and flavours. Made without animal finings, this wine is vegan friendly.

The 21/22 season is one for the books. Winter rains replenished parched soils and broke a three-year drought. A warm and wet winter continued into spring, bringing lush growth to the vines, a perfect flowering and an abundance of fruit. January was warm and dry, and decisions to reduce yields on all our Pinot Noir ensured quality was the driver. This was beneficial as February saw a significant rain event, followed by cool weather, slowing ripening and retaining acids. March was near perfect weather wise, allowing ‘hang time’ for the fruit to ripen and develop flavour. Individual parcels were picked over 14 days from the 15th to 29th March.

The fruit was harvested as individual clones and parcels over 14 days by both hand and machine. The handpicked fruit was entirely destemmed in 2022 and all batches fermented separately in open top fermenters using selected and wild yeasts. Ferments were managed mostly with a pumpover once a day and a hand plunge in the peak of fermentation. Batches were left on their skins post-ferment for 5 – 7 days before draining the wine and pressing the skins. Then, batches are transferred to French barrels (12% new) for 11 months. Select barrels and batches are blended in February and bottled in March prior to the next harvest.

Food Pairing: Crispy duck pancakes, grilled quail, pulled pork, seared salmon with barbecued beetroot.