Brancott Estate 'T' Single Vineyard Marlborough Pinot Noir 2023

Generally regarded as the launch point for the modern NZ wine world, Marlborough is as stunning to see as it is hospitable for growing Sauvignon Blanc. Cool, sea-lashed nights and warm days create long ripening seasons, giving NZ savvy's a fresh, green and intense flavour with wonderfully balanced acid. Drink them young, and enjoy them with seafood.

History

While wine has been produced in this region for decades (yeah, we hate to think that the 70's were THAT long ago), the 1980's were the watermark for Marlborough. The Sauvignon Blanc's were gaining attention for being as good, if not better, than anywhere else. This was aided by a gradual decline in making the wine with a smokey, oaked style. Clean and crisp with limed acid became the fashion, and critics showered them with praise. By the late 90's, many were writing that Marlborough was the best spot on earth to grow Sauvignon Blanc.

Visiting

Today, the demand and quality have made Marlborough the major region for NZ, with 79% of the

Pinot noir (French pronunciation: [pinoˈnwaʁ]) is a red wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French words for "pine" and "black" alluding to the varietals' tightly clustered dark purple pine cone-shaped bunches of fruit.

Pinot noir grapes are grown around the world, mostly in the cooler regions, but the grape is chiefly associated with the Burgundy region of France. It is widely considered to produce some of the finest wines in the world, but is a difficult variety to cultivate and transform into wine.

Despite this, Pinot wines are among the most popular in the world. Joel Fleischman of Vanity Fair describes Pinot noir as "the most romantic of wines, with so voluptuous a perfume, so sweet an edge, and so powerful a punch that, like falling in love, they make the blood run hot and the soul wax embarrassingly poetic." Master Sommelier Madeline Triffon calls pinot "sex in