Villa Maria Cellar Selection Pinot Noir 2021

Our 2021 Cellar Selection Marlborough Pinot Noir has aromatics reminiscent of freshly roasted coffee beans and red summer fruits such as cherries and berries. On the palate, a subtle hint of toasty notes nicely frames the juicy fruit, earthy texture and soft velvety tannins.

All the Pinot Noir fruit for this wine originates from Marlborough, with 61% from the Awatere Valley and 39% from the Wairau Valley

The Pinot Noir fruit for this wine originates from a diverse range of vineyard sites in both the Awatere and Wairau Valleys in Marlborough. The climate in Marlborough has high sunshine hours but temperatures during the growing season are regulated by the cooling ocean influence.

Fruit is harvested at night during cooler temperatures, then destemmed and transferred to open-top stainless steel tanks for 3-4 days of cold soaking to extract aromatics. A mixture of indigenous and cultured yeasts are used with ferments, peaking at 32-34°c to extract the desired colour and tannins. After fermentation, the wine spent 10 months in a mixture of 5% new and 95% seasoned French oak barriques on full lees to add palate weight and texture.