Cherry, Coffee, Oak

Deep ruby red in colour with aromas of black cherries, subtle coffee creme, redcurrants and dark plums. The palate is intense and immediately mouth-filling with sweet plums and toasty notes. Elegant and powerful, the wine displays fine tannins but with great acidity that gives the wine freshness. Charming and extremely enjoyable now and will age in the bottle well for years to come.

Invivo X, SJP Pinot Noir is from the famed clays of Marlborough's Southern Valleys, with a dash of Awatere River drama. Our Wairau Southern Valley block is a steep, north-facing vineyard of silt loam over clay. The Awatere Valley block is close to seaview and right on the elevated banks of the Awatere River, with soils offering a fine loam with modest gravel and a cool climate.

Hand-harvested fruit was de-stemmed into small open fermenters and left to cold-soak for around 7-10 days until the musts warmed enough for indigenous yeasts to initiate fermentation. The small parcels were then handplunged three times daily and left on skins for up to three weeks post fermentation. The lightly-pressed young wines were then transferred undergravity to new (35%) and seasoned French oak barriques (65%) for eleven months. The wine was left to undergo malolactic fermentation in the last months of 2023, with blending early 2024