There’s a lot to enjoy here, from the darkly exotic allspice of the nose to the refreshing plum and milky cherry-chocolate generosity of the palate.

In November 2020 a severe frost proved calamitous to the young buds, followed by flailing hail and then major drought in the three months prior to the 2021 harvest. Much of this inclemency is down to the clouds than define New Zealand’s climate and, after all, its Maori name. The whole cycle of life is entirely subject to the whim of weather and its climatic intemperance. A fleeting hail storm can wreak havoc in a vineyard, just as the absence of clouds will assist frost in cold climes and lead to drought in summer. The arc of the whole vintage is defined by these ephemeral structures that are sent to bless with rain yet whose unpredictability shapes the resulting harvest. We celebrate those cruel, fecund, damning and wine-defining weightless gods-above in Passing Giants, our new pair of organic wines from Marlborough.

This wine spends 10 months in new and older French oak barriques supports the fruit with a fine, gently toasty structure for a Pinot that is ultimately lifted yet generous.

This wine is crying out for hoi sin sauce and (organic..) duck pancakes.