Rohe Southern Valleys Pinot Noir Marlborough

Rohe Southern Valleys Pinot Noir

Rohe, meaning territory in Te Reo Māori, is a range of wines created to showcase the unique flavours of Marlborough. Marlborough’s sub-regions are yet to be fully understood, each district offers distinct flavours and aromas. Through crafting wines exclusively from each winemaking sub-region the Rohe range of wines highlight the individual sub-regional flavours and share our perspective of this remarkable region we call home. Made in individual quantities, each bottle features a bespoke illustration of a Marlborough sub-region.

Sub-region

The clay rich soils of the Southern Valleys sub-region naturally restrict vine vigour and produce Pinot Noir fruit with concentrated flavours and supple tannins. The subregion sits inland, away from the coast, with cooler evening temperatures during the critical ripening period. Some of the oldest hillside Pinot Noir plantings in Marlborough are found in this sub-region.

Winemaking Notes

2021 was one of the earliest and shortest Marlborough vintages on record. The growing season was the third in a series of drought vintages, the stress on the vines was compounded by a huge wind run. The combination of some early frost events and a poor flowering resulted in lower yields and smaller bunches than usual. This, combined with the dry conditions, has meant that disease levels are incredibly low this year, resulting in pristine fruit with good concentration. The fruit for this wine was hand-harvested from vineyards planted with traditional Dijon clones, located in the Ben Morven, Waihopai and Omaka Valleys. The fruit was cold soaked for five days, prior to fermentation, which included 25% whole bunch. After fermentation the must was pressed and the wine aged for ten months in 225L French Oak Barriques, with a total of 32% new oak.

Cellaring Recommendation

This wine is immediately enjoyable but will continue to drink well for the next eight years.