A steep vineyard in Omihi that was established in 1999 has now been renamed as Damsteep (aptly enough) and is home to the grapes that find their way into this pretty aromatic Pinot Noir with its smooth and savoury flavours of fruity red berries, wrapped in firmly structured earthy notes and a lingering, silky finish. This is a great drink now from a very good vintage for quality and it will age well for up to five years, possibly longer. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered with minimal sulphur.

This spicy North Canterbury Pinot Noir was made from grapes grown along terraces on the banks of the Waipara River with wild yeast fermentation and hand plunging before  10 months maturation in French oak barriques. 

The region's naturally low cropping levels provide concentrated flavours in the grapes, which translate to an expressively savoury wine with smooth silky notes.

* Terrace Edge was named the New Zealand Organic Vineyard of the Year in 2018 and this year was named Aotearoa New Zealand Organic Winery of the Year. 

Escarpment Pinot Noir is made by one of New Zealand's most admired winemakers, Larry McKenna, who adores Pinot and makes it in a delicate but powerful style. Sound like an oxymoron? Try this excellent wine. It's made from hand picked grapes from a blend of Martinborough vineyards which are planted in clones 667, 777, Abel, 114 and 115. Gentle hand plunging extracts taste but keeps tannin in balance and the finished wine is aged for 11 months in French oak, 25% of it being new barrels.

Pinot Noir makes up over 80% of Central Otago's vineyards and it suits this cool climate because it is one of the earliest ripening red grapes in winemaking and can be harvested before the region's frosty winters set in. Roaring Meg is one of Central Otago's most popular wines and is named, cheekily, after a lady of the night during the infamous gold rush days in this southern region, in the 1800s. 

It's a light bodied, fresh and smooth red wine with notes of spice and cedar; made for drinking early in its life rather than aging.

Deliciously spicy, aromatic red fruit are captured in this silky Pinot Noir from Astrolabe Wines, which is a blend of grapes from four Marlborough sub regions, the Brancott and Waihopai, the Awatere and Kekerengu on the southern coast of the broader region. 

The grapes in this wine were fermented with wild yeasts in open top vats, including a portion of whole bunches to provide structure and add complexity to the pristine red fruit flavours in this wine. Wild yeasts and hot ferments are followed by aging in old French oak barrels where the wine gains its smooth mouthfeel and savoury flavours.

The story of Astrolabe

Diversity, history and family ownership are among the reasons to try the outstanding range of wines from Astrolabe, which was founded in 1996 in Marlborough by winemaker Simon Waghorn and his partner in life and wine, Jane. 

Simon has forged a reputation for being one of New Zealand's most respected producers of aromatic white wines after winning an almost embarrassingly long string of awards for his Sauvignon Blancs. He has also forged a name for adventurously diverse winemaking - he produces dry flinty whites from the most southern vineyard in Marlborough at Kekerengu on the coast about an hour's drive south of Blenheim. He is the only winemaker to produce wines from here. 

He is also one of the few in this country to make Albarino, Chenin Blanc and a consistently outstanding range of wines from the organically certified hillside sloping site that is the Wrekin Vineyard in Marlborough. 

The winery remains family owned and is now run by two generations, including Simon and Jane as well as their adult daughters. 

Luscious, deep-fruit aromas of red cherries and raspberries rise from the glass. The palate is crisply layered and mouth filling with fine tannins. Ripe red fruit obtains complexity from hints of spicy characters, tea leaf and earth. The texture has sophistication and elegance, being sumptuous and refreshing at the same time.

SINGLE VINEYARD - PARKBURN VALLEY

DESCRIPTION:
The Pinot Noir from Viper Vineyard is crafted using grapes cultivated in the Grandstand Block, situated within the Viper Vineyard itself, nestled in the Parkburn region on the western shores of Lake Dunstan. This vineyard derives its name from the profusion of the wildflower "Vipers Bugloss" that blankets the surrounding area.

Perched upon an undulating terrace above the valley floor, the vineyard's soil predominantly consists of sandy loam layered over red clay fused with schist gravel. With the moderating influence of cooling daytime temperatures, the ripening process extends into the late season, imparting a spicy character to the wines, accompanied by deep fruit flavours and richness.

WINEMAKERS COMMENTS:
The wine exudes an aromatic and vibrant bouquet, showcasing notes of red cherry, pomegranate, and delicate, freshly bloomed florals. Fresh red fruit notes and herbal undertones rest on a foundation of silky tannins, evolving into a refined and enduring finish. Pronounced mineral nuances and acidity harmonize to create an invigorating and confident balance.

This certified organic Pinot Noir hits consistent high notes with wine lovers and is a favourite with our team here at Regional. Churton Estate is a small winery in New Zealand's biggest wine region, Marlborough.

Churton founder and winemaker Sam Weaver cut his teeth on the classic wines of the world while working in fine wine retail in the United Kingdom. His background is in microbiology and he was raised on a farm, so when he and his wife Mandy founded Churton Estate, it combined all of his passions. The couple and their adult sons, have created one of this country's most high quality small wineries, which lives up to the dream of creating 100% estate grown grapes, 100% certified organic production and 100% bottled on site, nearly all of the wines without fining or filtration. All grapes are hand picked and natural yeasts ferment the majority of Churton wines. These incremental qualitative decisions impact at every step of their winemaking provides exceptional quality grapes which in turn express themselves in outstanding wines. 

This Churton Estate Pinot Noir is made from grapes grown at altitude on a hillside vineyard in the Waihopai Valley, Marlborough. They were hand harvested, natural yeast fermented and spent 28 days on skins. Once fermentation was complete, the wine was aged in mature French oak for 16 months.

No fining or filtration makes this wine vegan friendly.

Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir is regarded as an icon Pinot Noir from the world's southernmost wine region, the dramatically beautiful mountainous, Central Otago. This wine is made by the Dicey family, one of the first to plant grapes in Bannockburn, south of the Kawarau River. Their pioneering work in this region triggered rapid expansion in the area's modern wine history.

This wine is dry with powerful fruit driven flavours and a smooth, approchoable style, even when this wine is youthful. It drinks well now and can age for a further four to five years. 

Located on the north facing slopes of the Brancott Valley, Clayvin Vineyard takes its unique name from the clay based soil profile that lies beneath the vineyard. The complex clay profile varies across the vineyard, allowing a number of different varieties to be grown, including Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

The clay soil gives our Clayvin Pinot Noirs richness and generosity and an immediately appealing soft texture.

High density planting allows for very low yields per vine. Low yielding vines tend to produce wines of great concentration and richness.

This vineyard consistently produces grapes of outstanding quality.

Plush, smooth and full of ripe red plum flavours, this wine is made with grapes grown a vineyard formed on the ancient riverbed of a river that once carried rock from the steep Ruahine ranges and deposited masses of free-draining gravel which is locally known as red metal. This is a plush wine from a very good vintage and punches well above its weight. Juicy ripe berry flavours from the Merlot are balanced by grunty darker earthy elements from the Franc.

Winery's notes...

A stylish Hawke's Bay blend that has chartered our way, a wine with a strong character and a strong following. Blended from the best blocks from our estate, we use a variety of clones, each block fermented then matured in oak barrels as stand alone parcels. After 12 months initial maturation, each barrel was tasted and scored with only the best making the cut for The Navigator. Softly concentrated with deep and dense aromas of plush red fruits, cocoa, spice and cedar, the palate is medium-full bodied with rich and succulent flavours. 

The long finish and fine tannins make this an ideal accompaniment for your beef dishes, richly flavoured foods and cheeses. 

Merlot 34%, Cabernet Sauvignon 31%, Cabernet Franc 19%, Malbec 16%

Winemaker's note:

"2015 was an exceptional vintage and the weather was consistent which allowed us to grow and ripen grapes to optimum quality. This blend is made of 72% Merlot, 20% Malbec and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon from grapes hand-picked off our Gimblett Vineyard (58%) and Triangle Vineyard (42%). 

After fermentation the wine was aged for 24 months in French oak (42% new), then blended and had a further 3 months on lees in tank. There was no racking which allow the wine to have great volume and weight.

This is a concentrated, medium to full bodied blend. With ripe blackberry and plum characters, fine grained tannins and a fresh acidity all giving the wine a wonderful balance. It will age well and improve for 10 years from vintage."

Soft plush Merlot with the black olive flavours of Cabernet Sauvignon?s impressive structure both add great balance to this powerful wine from Clearview Estate in Hawke?s Bay. Flavours here are dark and brooding black olives, dried woody thyme with all its aromatic intensity, supported by the velvety smoothness of Malbec, which makes up a small portion of this wine. 

This is a wine that drinks well now and can age to evolve even more impressive flavours for up to 10 years. 

About Clearview Estate

Clearview Estate is one of oldest, most well established wineries in Hawke's Bay and is situated on the Te Awanga Coast, south of Napier. It's a great place to visit for tastings at the cellar door as well as lunch in the dappled shade of the established courtyard area. The winery was founded by Tim Turvey, winemaker and co-owner. The current winemaker is the multi talented Matt Kirby.

This is a very good value, dry, medium bodied red from the country's second biggest wine region, Hawke's Bay, where the Babich family owns significant vineyard land. It's a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon whih reflects Hawke's Bay's vineyard plantings because Merlot is the most planted variety and it adds softness and flesh to the great structure that Cabernet provides. Babich Wines is one of New Zealand's oldest wine companies and remains in the hands of the same family whose ancestor, Josip Babich, founded it.