Corofin Marlborough Pinot Noir 2022

Accolades:
93/100 – Jamie Goode, Wine Anorak
95/100 – Gary Walsh, The Wine Front (2021 vintage)
92/100 – Stephen Wong MW (2021 vintage)

“2022 was a challenging growing season. Ripeness was advanced, but then in February there was a change to an easterly weather pattern with intermittent rain that continued through the key harvest period from early-March to mid-April. The key here was a detailed approach in the vineyard to avoid rot, and so balanced yields and good farming were the key to quality. This wine is a blend of Wrekin (Brancott Valley) 45%; Settlement (Omaka Valley) 45%; and Churton (Waihpai Valley) 10%. Sweetly aromatic with hints of pepper and some leafy greenness as well as plums and red cherries. In the mouth this has a sense of elegance and lightness, with a core of sweet strawberry and cherry fruit, with some fine spicy notes. Ripe but elegant, with a touch of orange peel on the finish. Real drinkability and elegance here.” – Jamie Goode, Wine Anorak

Tasting Note: Sensual; red fruited and savoury with fine acid tannin balance. A reflection of a longer growing season, which delivered great physiological ripeness. The 2022 growing season marked the end of a string of drought-like seasons in Marlborough. Abundant rain over the winter of 2021 continued into spring but with above average temperatures. A warmer, drier November and December promoted good flowering and fruit set across all varieties, followed by a warm settled period with above average temperatures through January. Ripeness across all varieties tracked well ahead of average with solid yields across the region. February saw a change to easterly weather pattern and, intermittent rain which continued through the key harvest period from early-March to mid-April.

Winemaking Notes: Source Blocks: Wrekin (Brancott Valley) 45%; Settlement (Omaka Valley) 45%, Churton (Waihpai Valley) 10%. Harvested: Settlement, March 17th; Wrekin, March 19th; Churton, March 29th. A longer growing season promoting great physiological ripeness. Grapes were hand-picked into ½ ton bins and transported to the winery. Fruit for all batches was sorted and de-stemmed into tank then sealed for five days at ambient temperature. Piegage was then employed, resulting in spontaneous rapid fermentation, lasting 8 to 10 days. During ferment, juice was poured back over the cap daily to maintain freshness and to facilitate gentle extraction. Post-fermentation the young wines were pressed, after a total of 19 days on skins for Wrekin, 20 days for Settlement, and 22 days for Churton. The young wines were then settled and transferred separately in respective batches to seasoned (second and third year) French oak barrels. The wines remained in barrel for 13 months on original lees, undergoing a natural malolactic ferment during this period. Late April 2023 the wines were moved into tank, sulphured and remained there for 5 months prior to being racked and assembled in October 2023 for bottling in November 2023. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. A small natural deposit may occur.

Certification: Organic

Alcohol: 13.0%

Variety: Pinot Noir

Region: Marlborough, New Zealand