The 2018 Classic Marlborough Pinot Noir displays lively dark cherry, plum and redcurrant notes combined with attractive smoky and herbal influence. The palates entrance is juicy and displays a combination of red and dark berry fruits and savoury oak nuances lead to a smooth, rich, palate and silky tannins.

Rapaura Springs (pronounced Ra-para) is a unique oasis in the dry Marlborough landscape with natural underground springs providing a life source for the vines. This pure water enables the vineyards to produce outstanding fruit with minimal intervention. The logo represents springs water flowing from their stony aquifer.

Fruit was sourced from select vineyards in Marlborough, enabling the capture of a broad representation of flavours. The fruit was hand selected in small parcels over a number of days, allowing each parcel to be harvested at optimum levels of ripeness and flavour development.

A combination of both traditional and new world winemaking was used in the making of this Marlborough Pinot Noir. Each parcel of fruit was vinified separately and gently crushed into small and medium sized fermentation vessels. The fruit was then cold soaked and naturally fermented using a selection of wild and traditional Pinot Noir yeasts to build complexity. Gentle plunging of the cap occurred 2-3 times a day to extract colour and tannin. After the wine was pressed off skins, underwent malolactic fermentation and matured for 9 months before being blended and bottled.

The 2018 growing season in Marlborough was not without some challenges. December we enjoyed perfect flowering conditions, January was one of the warmest on record, February delivered some rain and March was characterised by extended dry periods and high sunshine hours. Despite all this, the fruit ripened nicely on the vines, earlier than normal, and we had clean, ripe and intensely flavoured fruit come harvest in April.

Enjoy with Grilled Venison Medallions and Mushroom and Tomato Bordelaise sauce or a Beetroot and Goats Cheese Tart.