Wild Earth Reserve ‘Earth and Sky’ Pinot Noir 2022 has a lifted and savoury nose with ripe cherry, mulberry, lilac, sandalwood, rosemary and a hint of mushroom.

This is a fragrant and silky expression of the Bannockburn sub-region with lovely bramble fruit, florals and a touch of umami, with chalky, fine tannins that are intricately woven around the apt acidity.

This Pinot Noir has an ethereal nature, expressing intensity and poise from great sites in a stellar sub-region.

It is notably fresh and bright at release and it will certainly reward those who choose to cellar it with a wonderful journey of development for at least 10+years.

Awards and reviews:

Gold medal – New Zealand International Wine Show 2023
97 points, 5 stars – Sam Kim, Wine Orbit
5 stars – Michael Cooper
94 points, excellent – Cam Douglas MS
19.0/20, 95 pts, 5 stars – Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Wine Reviews
18.5/20 – Joelle Thomson
93 points, 4.5 stars – Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review

Vintage Notes:

The 2021-2022 growing season was relatively warm overall with a mild start to spring that was slightly wetter than average, followed by warm, dry weather at flowering resulting in excellent yields and high quality. January was warm and dry, followed by a wet February and then a brilliant, dry and warm March. The season is somewhat reminiscent of the exceptional 2019 vintage.

Winemaking:

Only the very best grapes from vineyards in the well renowned Bannockburn area are selected to produce this ‘Earth and Sky’ Pinot Noir 2022. This wine is a blend of three Bannockburn vineyards ranging from 12 to 24 years old. One site is situated at the end of Felton Road. The second site borders the Bannockburn Sluicings, a distinctive geographic landmark that is steeped in mining history, and the third is on the Cairnmuir side with sandier soils. The grapes from these vineyards were fermented separately with a range of 0-33% whole clusters with the resulting blend having around 20% whole clusters which aids the tannin structure and aromatics of the wine. The total time on skins ranges from 21-28 days. The wine was aged for approximately 11 months in fine grain French oak barriques with 25% new and the rest ranging from 2-5 years old.

Technical Details:

This wine is vegan.

Alcohol: 14%
PH: 3.62
T.A. 5.6 g/L
Residual Sugar: dry