Wild Earth Reserve 'Earth and Sky' Central Otago Pinot Noir 2020

Wild Earth Reserve 'Earth and Sky' Central Otago Pinot Noir 2020French oak Cherry & plum Wild thyme Fine tannins "A stunning expression, exhibiting dark plum, cake spice, cedar, smoky bacon and dark mushroom aromas on the nose, leading to a powerful yet refined and seamless palate delivering multi layered mouthfeel and gorgeously integrated tannins. Plush and persistent with loads of gratifying flavours and texture" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Jun 2021 "Deep ruby red with a slight purple hue, lighter on edge. The bouquet

• French oak
• Cherry & plum
• Wild thyme
• Fine tannins

"A stunning expression, exhibiting dark plum, cake spice, cedar, smoky bacon and dark mushroom aromas on the nose, leading to a powerful yet refined and seamless palate delivering multi-layered mouthfeel and gorgeously integrated tannins. Plush and persistent with loads of gratifying flavours and texture" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Jun 2021

"Deep ruby-red with a slight purple hue, lighter on edge. The bouquet is softly full, elegant and fragrant. Black cherries, blackcurrants aromas are lifting, melded with herbal essence, aromatic tree bark, thyme, unfolding black pepper, cinnamon spices. Medium-full bodied, black cherries, blackcurrants enhanced by raspberries, black pepper; cinnamon and cloves linger with thyme and herbal elements. Concentrated range of fruit, added interest by spices and herbal fragrances. Tightly weaved fine-grained tannin has density and a velvety nature, provides ageing potential alongside lively acidity. Will benefit from cellaring for 5 years or decanting. Match with venison wellington and lamb over the next 10 years" Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Wine Reviews, Jun 2021

"Fine and complex bouquet with aromas of smoke and brown spices, dark berries and savoury dried herb, stony earthy qualities and distinctive thyme and dried rose scents. Delicious on the palate with flavours of dark skinned berries, layers of smoky toasty barrel, baking spices and savoury dried herbs. An abundance of fine through chalky textured tannins, medium+ acidity and lengthy salivating finish. Drinkable from today and through 2028, but also cellar worthy with best drinking from mid through late 2022" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Jun 2021

"Deeply coloured, with a fragrant, spicy bouquet, this ‘reserve’ wine was grown at three sites at Bannockburn and matured for a year in French oak barriques (25% new).  Youthful but already approachable, it is full-bodied and sweet-fruited, with concentrated, ripe, berryish, spicy flavours, complex and savoury, and supple tannins" Michael Cooper, Winestate Magazine, Jun 2021

"Modern, primary, and quite bold on the nose with lashings of berry compote, boysenberry ripple ice cream, and creamy vanilla oak. Vibrant, juicy and plush on the palate with tangy berry flavours, clean, precise acidity, and polished tannins. A youthful wine, still in components but has lots of commercial appeal" NZ Wine Rater, Sep 2021

"Earthy by name and by nature. This is a superb, deeply coloured, densely flavoursome and youthful Pinot Noir from Wild Earth wines in Bannockburn. Winemaker Quintin Quider uses grapes grown on three separate vineyards in Bannockburn to make this wine; all were hand picked and fermented separately to retain their different expressions of site variation. Overall there was about 15% whole bunch fermentation, which enhances the fragrant floral fresh aromas in the wine. It was aged for 12 months in French oak, 25% new which is in gorgeous balance here, supporting the impressive structure and full body of this lovely young wine" Joelle Thomson

An extremely aromatic nose with cherry, plum, lilac, incense, cedar, wild thyme and a hint of gun smoke. This is an intensely concentrated expression of the Bannockburn sub-region with lovely red and blue fruit, florals and a hint of game supported by fine tannins that are intricately woven around the fresh acidity. This Pinot Noir is laden with exotic perfume and intricate detail, expressing intensity and poise from great sites in a cooler growing season. This wine is delightful at release but will continue to develop for at least decade or so, making it a great option for the cellar.

Only the very best grapes from vineyards in the well renowned Bannockburn area are selected to produce this ‘Earth and Sky’ Pinot Noir 2020.

Following a mild winter, the 2019-2020 growing season was generally cool natured with cold, wet weather at flowering delivering a very light set in Bannockburn (crops 50% down). February was wet with double the average amount of rainfall and March followed with less rainfall, but it all fell over the same week. March was one of the coolest in recent times which slowed the final ripening period. These conditions resulted in a Pinot Noir with intense colour and a highly concentrated core. 

This wine is a blend of three Bannockburn vineyards ranging from 11 to 20 years old. One of the sites is planted on the sandier soils of Cairnmuir Road and the other two border the Bannockburn Sluicings, a distinctive geographic landmark that is steeped in mining history. The grapes from these vineyards were fermented separately with a range of 0-100% whole clusters with the resulting blend having around 15% whole clusters which aids the tannin structure and aromatics of the wine. The total time on skins ranging from 18-25 days. The wine was aged for approximately 12 months in fine grain French oak barriques with 25% new and the rest ranging from 2-5 years old. The wine was bottled unfined, unfiltered; as such, natural deposits may occur. This wine is vegan.