Description: The 2007 Marlborough Pinot Noir is bright, ruby red. Lifted notes of raspberry, blackberry and boysenberry are complemented by subtle savoury notes. A luscious, medium-bodied Pinot Noir with a round, soft, full palate, well-balanced acidity and supple tannins. Blackberry and boysenberry flavours dominate the palate and are supported by hints of raspberry and redcurrant. This wine has rich savoury notes and a lingering finish.
Robert Parker: Wine Advocate Issue # 176. Apr 2008. Reviewer : Neal Martin. The 2007 Marlborough Pinot Noir has a dense, brooding nose that is more herbaceous in style with hints of mulberry in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with good depth, high extraction but no signs of astringency. Firm, dense, tannic with a plum-infused, slightly herbaceous finish, it is marred by being a tad too dry on the finish, but otherwise a pleasurable Pinot Noir to drink over 2-3 years. Drink 2008 - 2011.
Wine Spectator: Issue: Aug 31, 2008. Fleshy, with very good concentration to black cherry, fresh Provençal herb and generous toasty oak flavors. Asian five-spice, wild berry and fine-grained tannins frame the cedary finish. Drink now through 2010. 7,000 cases made. –DS.
Stephen Tanzer: Sep/Oct 08. By Stephen Tanzer. Good medium red. Nuanced nose offers dried flowers, minerals and smoked meat. Supple, plump and sweet, in an easygoing, rather New World pinot style. Finishes pliant and persistent. Ultimately more complex and generous than the Vicar's Choice bottling.
Bob Campbell MW, bobswinereviews.com, 86pts - "Light, fresh wine with pure red cherry and plum fruit flavours. Simple, lively Pinot Noir that's beautifully balanced with a hint of sweetness on the finish."3 ½ Stars Winestate Marlborough Tasting 2007, "Full, bright ruby. Strong, plummy, cherryish flavours in a youthful, vibrant style, lively and fresh."
Vinification: At the winery each batch was held cold for five days prior to ferment to help extract maximum flavour and to enhance colour stability. A mixture of indigenous and cultured yeasts were used to carry out the primary alcoholic fermentation during which the fermenting must was handplunged up to six times daily. At dryness each batch was pressed to tank and then racked off gross lees to either stainless steel tanks, or a mixture of new and used French oak. The wine then underwent malolactic fermentation and was aged for eight months in barrel before being blended and prepared for bottling.
