Bright garnet hue with intriguing aromas of ripe red apple, cherry, cedar, sage, wild thyme, and mushroom.

The Wild Earth Pinot Noir 2021 has a palate of great concentration with intricately woven layers of sweet red and blue/black fruit, dried herb and distinctive earthy flavours complementing a highly focused palate with great intensity and length.

Silky fine tannins, vibrant fruit and intense aromas complement a serious structure with so much finesse.

Harmonious and inviting, this Pinot Noir is drinking beautifully as a young wine and should continue to deliver enjoyment for 15+ years.

Vintage notes:

The 2020-2021 growing season had a relatively warm, dry spring with some late November frosts to fight, followed by good weather at flowering resulting in excellent yields in the Cromwell Basin.

Some rain events over the Christmas holidays kept us on our toes but autumn returned to warm temperatures allowing consistent ripening.

The weather stabilised in February and remained relatively warm and dry all the way through harvest in April, leading to idyllic conditions.

The combination of challenging and favourable periods resulted in a Pinot Noir with intense colour and a highly concentrated core.

Winemaking:

The Wild Earth 2021 Pinot Noir is a Central Otago blend that represents the best attributes of the selected vineyards and of course, the 2021 season.

The fruit was hand-harvested at optimal ripeness with harvest dates ranging from late March to late April 2021.

Several different ferments went into the blend ranging from 0-50% whole bunches per fermenter with the resulting blend having around 18% whole clusters, which aids the tannin structure and aromatics of the wine.

The total time on skins ranges from 20-28 days.

The wine was aged in fine-grain French oak barrels: 24% new, 30% 1-year-old and the balance was 2-5 years old for approximately 12 months.

Wild Earth winemaker, Jen Parr, selected fruit from exceptional Central Otago vineyards in Bendigo, Bannockburn and Pisa showcasing the high quality of the season.

Awards and reviews:

Gold Medal – NZ International Wine Show (Oct 2022)
Gold medal – Aotearoa Regional Wine Competition (Sept 2022)
5 stars, 95 points- Sam Kim, Wine Orbit (Aug 2022)
18.5/20 – Joelle Thomson (Aug 2022)
96 points, 4.5 stars – Winestate Magazine (Michael Cooper) (July 2022)
94 points, excellent- Cameron Douglas MS (Aug 2022)
5 stars, 93 points, excellent – NZ Wine Rater
5 stars, 18.5/20,  93 pts – Candice Chow – Raymond Chan Wine Reviews (Aug 2022
93 pts, silver – National Wine Awards of Aotearoa NZ (Sept 2022)

Winestate Magazine Top 5 Finalist: Pinot of the Year (2nd year running) & Wine of the Year