Country: New Zealand Region: Marlborough Varietal: Pinot Noir Vintage: 2019 Colour: Red Style: Dry VINTAGE: The 2019 vintage in New Zealand was marked by a dry and hot summer, providing excellent conditions for the grapes to reach optimum levels of ripeness. Although significant rainfall occurred in late summer into early autumn, it provided the vines with the necessary boost to get through the final stages of ripening and avoided water stress. The grapes harvested in both Marlborough and Central Otago were of excellent quality. PRODUCER: Kim Crawford Wines was established in late 1996, when Kim launched a range made from fruit grown in the South Island. Kim sold the company to Constellation in 2005 and has since handed the winemaking reins over to the Constellation winemaking team. Despite Kim no longer being involved with these wines, the current winemakers continue the classic Kim Crawford philosophy and style. Control over grape supply has always been essential for Kim Crawford Wines and they now have the largest vineyard resource in Marlborough of any wine company, across the greatest breadth of sub-regions, ensuring consistent quality and style. For that consistency, and success over the past 20 years, Wine Enthusiast magazine USA recognised Kim Crawford as their “New World Winery of the Year 2016”. VINEYARDS: The grapes for this wine are sourced from some excellent cool climate vineyards in the Marlborough (64%) and Central Otago (36%) regions of New Zealand's South Island. A wide variety of clones and rootstock were used, along with a mixture of soils and microclimates to ensure a balance of flavour profiles and exceptional quality. VINIFICATION: Upon arrival at the winery, the grapes were destemmed, crushed and underwent a five day pre-fermentation maceration on the skins. The wine was fermented in open top fermenters at controlled temperatures with regular punch downs and pump overs to extract maximum colour and flavour. After fermentation, the wine was pressed off the skins and part of the blend went into French oak barrels for nine months, 10% of which were new. The final blend was assembled following careful tasting and analysis. TASTING NOTES: This wine has lifted red berry fruits on the nose, mixed with dark cherry notes, savoury undertones and spicy oak. The palate displays ripe blackberry and cherry, filled out with subtle sweet spice from the oak ageing.