It’s one of the questions I get asked most. Why does a bottle of Pinot Noir cost more than a white from the same vineyard? The short answer is that it takes more work, more patience and more fruit left on the ground to make a good one.
A difficult grape
Pinot Noir has thin skins and grows in tight bunches. That makes it more vulnerable to disease like powdery mildew and botrytis, and more sensitive to the weather. It rewards careful growing and punishes shortcuts.
Shoot thinning in the vineyard
Less fruit, on purpose
Just after flowering, our growers thin the shoots on the Pinot Noir vines we use, working to our spec. It’s slow work, done vine by vine, and it does four things:
- It reduces the size of the crop.
- It opens up the canopy so air can move through and the inside of the vine stays dry.
- That airflow helps prevent disease like powdery mildew and botrytis.
- It lets more sunlight reach the leaves, so the vine can ripen its fruit properly.
With less fruit on each vine, every bunch gets more of the vine’s energy. Flavour builds, and the wine shows more of where it was grown. The trade-off is simple: fewer bottles from every row.
Before and after shoot thinning
Time in French oak
Our Pinot Noir is aged in French oak barriques, which is where its silky texture and gently savoury edge come from. Good barrels are expensive, and the wine spends many months in them before it goes into bottle. Then it needs more time before it’s ready to drink. The 2023 we’re pouring now was picked three years ago.
Is it worth it?
I think so, and the critics agree. Our 2023 Pinot Noir has scored 93 points from Sam Kim at Wine Orbit, 93 points from Candice Chow at Wine Chat and 91 points from Cameron Douglas MS.
Taste the difference for yourself with our 2023 Pinot Noir.
Cheers,
Nicky
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