Pinot Noir 2021/22, Loveblock, Central Otago

Big, ripe black cherry with hints of mushroom and toasty oak spice peeking out behind rich fruit. Fleshy black plum, with layers of cherry and sweet berries that play on the palate and dance with hints of violet and savoury notes.

“From here you can almost see the end of the Earth; the peace lifts you above your troubles.” Perched high in the hills overlooking Marlborough’s Awatere Valley, Loveblock feels a world away from the agricultural hustle & bustle below. Kim and Erica Crawford acquired this wild and untamed patch of land in 2004 and have turned their organic Loveblock farm into a haven of biodiversity. It is here they make a Sauvignon Blanc of constrained elegance and an emphasis on texture. While in Central Otago, Kim and Erica farm five different clones of Pinot Noir on their 9-hectare Someone’s Darling vineyard, planted on sand over schist close to Bendigo, in the warmer climes of this most southerly wine region.

Once the grapes entered the required flavour profile, they were machine harvested with a destemming harvester in April in the early hours of the morning and transported to the winery. At the winery, the fruit was pumped straight to the tank, without crushing, in order to leave some whole berries. After a five-day cold soak, the must was warmed to 20°C and fermentation commenced on its own wild yeast. The ferment was hand plunged twice daily until dry when it was pressed off. The wine then underwent full malolactic fermentation in tank. After eight months of maturation, the wine was stabilised, sterile filtered and bottled.