Te Whare Ra Pinot Noir 2019

Te Whare Ra Pinot Noir leans into Marlborough's Southern Valleys - older, lower-fertility, clay-heavy soils that the winery reckons make for silkier, more savoury Pinot than the Wairau plains. This 2019 release blends three certified organic vineyards: the TWR home block plus fruit from the celebrated Clayvin and Wrekin sites in the Brancott Valley, picked in one of Marlborough's warmest, driest and most highly rated Pinot Noir vintages. Expect ripe strawberry and dark plum with baking spice, mocha and savoury undertones, fleshy and silky in texture with real weight and a long, complex finish. Eleven months in mostly older French oak keeps things fine rather than heavy-handed. It's approachable now but built with enough structure to reward five to seven years in the cellar.

What the winery says:

Te Whare Ra's style of Pinot Noir favours Marlborough's Southern Valleys, where older, lower-fertility clay soils give more depth and structure than the Wairau plains, and the winery aims for something silky, supple and savoury. The 2019 release blends three certified organic vineyards - the TWR home block, plus the Clayvin and Wrekin vineyards in the Brancott Valley. A wet flowering period reduced yields, but the warm, dry summer that followed suited these particular sites, which have good water access and organic matter in the soil, avoiding the stress that affected other vineyards that year; 2019 is regarded as a standout Marlborough Pinot Noir vintage. Fruit was hand-picked, hand-sorted, destemmed and berry-sorted, with some parcels including a small percentage of whole bunches, then cold-soaked for seven to eight days before a five-to-seven-day ferment in small one-tonne open fermenters with twice-daily hand plunging, followed by up to fourteen days of post-ferment maceration. The wine matured for eleven months in French oak, 26% new, and was bottled unfined with minimal filtration. It's 13.1% ABV, pH 3.60, TA 5.0g/L and dry, and the winery says it will keep developing over five to seven years of cellaring.

What the experts say:

Cameron Douglas MS, 96/100 (2019 Vintage)
"Complex and deeply fragrant, varietal and pure with a core of red berries and mineral, site and time. Red currant and black currant, cherry and red apple skin. The oak is layered in with scents of clove and vanilla along with complex toasty qualities. Complex, dry and new, flavours mirror the bouquet, textures from firm polished tannins and back bone of acidity. A lengthy and complex finish, a wine perfect for food and will also cellar well with best drinking from late 2024 through 2032+."

Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, 96/100 (2019 Vintage)
"Complex and enticing, the bouquet shows sweet cherry, game, dried mushroom, thyme and nutmeg aromas, followed by a beautifully flowing palate that's juicy and fleshy. Gorgeously maturing with elegance and finesse, it has a sensually appealing mouthfeel that lingers on for a great deal."

Erin Larkin, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 93/100 (2019 Vintage)
"The 2019 Pinot Noir is showing some color development in the glass and leads with a savory nose of kicked autumn leaves, macerated cherries, dark chocolate, blood plum and cranberry. In the mouth, the wine is chalky and composed, with an overall savory persuasion, populated by fruit that is on the edge of developing tertiary characters. This is a lovely wine in a lovely place right now."

Bob Campbell MW, 93/100 (2019 Vintage)
"Bright, vibrant Pinot Noir with dark cherry, plum, mixed spice, and a tangy texture. Fresh, high energy wine that is accessible now but promises to age well."