Pinot Noir excells within the favourable winegrowing climes of Marlborough, fruit ripens to excellent condition on healthy vines. The Giesen style varies from one vintage to the next as determined by the season, always displaying the individuality of site, soil and mesoclime. An animate Pinot wine with ripe varietal flavours and refined tannins, fashioned from fruit grown to splendid Marlborough vineyards.

Central Otago is a winegrower's paradise and a Pinot Noir maker's dream, a topographical cornucoppia of microclimes and stupendous terroirs. Planted to rich glacial deposits along the Wanaka Cromwell Highway, under the lee of Sugarloaf near the hamlet of Pisa, the frugal harvest of TOSQ Vineyard is treated to traditional wild yeast open vinification. The active barrels set sail across the Tasman for completion of ferments at the Giant Steps wineworks in Yarra Valley. Central Otago as you like it, gummy, soily tannins, peppery black brambles, gelatinous opulence and palate weight throughout.

Rarely ever made in vineyards of the new world, Vin Gris is a Blanc de Noirs, rather common in many parts of Europe, where grapes of either colour can be mix and matched for a rainbow of wine styles. Felton Road treat their Pinot Noir to a whole bunch press and prompt draining of skins, infusing the juices with rakish coppery hues and just a soupçon of textural grape tannin. A prettily perfumed nose of strawberry and wild flower, Vin Gris palate is laden with fruits yet pleasingly dry, herbaceousness and apple, its long, tasty finish, seasoned by sprigs of fennel and bay.

A characterful Pinot Noir born of triumph over adversity. Considerable research by Stewart Elms in 1991 identified the north facing slopes at the end of Felton Road near Bannockburn as being one of the warmest and most ideal sites in Central Otago. Heat summation data and soil maps from the construction of the Clyde Hydro Dam made a crucial contribution to the establishment of vines on Felton Road. Mouthcoating, subtle and caressing of fruit, a Pinot Noir of harmony, restraint and sophistication that intrigues rather than shouts its breeding, finishing with just enough tannin to frame the wine beautifully.

A number of sites along Felton Road were meticulously surveyed before any vines went in the ground, favourable soils were identified as free draining and low fertility, influenced by the Central Otago growing season to yield an extraordinary quality of Pinot Noir. The non interventionalist approach means a traditional fermentation and moderately long maceration on skins to extract rich colours and tannin with considerable depth of flavour. Aged for a year in a selection of the finest French barriques, its dusty floral nose, violets and rose, integrate seamlessly with the oak perfumes of cinnamon and clove.

True to the meaning of the word essence, a wine that expresses the heart and soul of New Zealand's premiere Pinot Noir growing region of Central Otago. The parched little berries with thick skins grown to the ultra cool ripening mesoclimes are characterised by their intensely concentrated flavours, yielding intense wines with redolent bouquets and mighty tannins.

Grapes for Te Rehua are grown to the elite Barton Vineyard on Huangarua Road Road, from mature vines over twenty years of age. Planted to deep alluvial gravels, for which the Martinborough terraces are renowned, the site supports various clones, all growing in a very sheltered spot. Fermented in barrel, hand plunged and sensibly oaked, one of New Zealand's most compelling constructs of Pinot Noir.

The zenith of new world Pinot Noir, welcome to the Escarpment wonderland, showcasing the prodigious acumen and skill of viticultural maestro Larry McKenna. Vinified from grapes grown to the closely planted Pahi parcel, a pure and delineated expression of a small yet exceptional site. Treated to the labour and love of hand plunged ferments, followed by a long and languid term of age in an artisanal selection of the finest French oak Cuvée. An aromatic plunge into bramble berries, rich florals and earth, ripe, silky texture, incredible length and lingering, technicolour peacock's tail.

From fruit picked off some of the oldest vineyards in Martinborough, an internationally renowned Pinot Noir appellation. Blessed by superior drainage and cool summers, a combination of slightly heavier soils and bespoke clones on own roots, always render a particularly eloquent Pinot Noir, so very articulate of clime and of place. Escarpment excels at formulating single vineyard wines from their small, but excellent, retinue of sites. Like the best wines of Burgundy, these individualistic editions offer marked differences in character and charm.

When the Kirbys and McKennas met for the first time, they quickly realized they shared a great passion for Pinot Noir, the project to develop Escarpment was born. Collectively all four directors bring to Escarpment a world of experience, skill and understanding about the nurture of an exceptional site and the creation of sublime Pinot wines. After twenty one years of viticulture in Martinborough, Larry McKenna defines New Zealand Pinot Noir through an assemblage of exceptional sites growing some of the oldest vines in the region.

Escarpment is a joint venture by Heathcote Estate/ Yabby Lake's dynamic duo, the Messrs Kirby and McKenna. No expense was spared, the pick of Pinot Noir rootstock and clones were established to precious alluvial gravel terraces at the base of Aorangi Ranges. Inspired by the classics of Burgundy, Escarpment expresses the distinctive character of Martinborough's unique terroir. Engaging perfumes, elegant flavours and soft ripe tannins are all hallmarks of the finest Martinborough Pinot Noir.

The great virtues of Martinborough are the lowest rainfall anywhere on the North Island and a heat summation that's idyllic for Pinot Noir. Seasonal rains are limited to a tiny locality, five kilometres in radius. At the heart of these unique mesoclimes lies an auspicious terroir of wonderfully free draining gravels, the home of Dry River Pinot Noir. Its full and round palate over elegant, velvety textured tannins, defined by delicacy rather than power. The finished wine is aged for a year in a selection of seasoned and new French oak puncheons.

A decidedly regional Pinot Noir, Drift are all about capturing the natural endowments of Marlborough and bringing the goodness of it all to the world. Minimal intervention is a priority, to ensure that the wines clearly expresses the uniqueness of the land. Drift take a decidely eclectic approach to constructing a wine that expresses the totality of all good things Marlborough. The palate is animate with ripe red cherry and raspberry flavours, perfumed by spice notes, supported by gentle tannins and juicy acidity, wrapped in a veil of supply seasoned oak.

From plantings dating back to the late 1970s, older well established vines on free draining silty clay loams, yielding fully ripe Pinot Noir grapes with concentrated characters and exemplary varietal expressions. The superlative sites are managed by viticulturist Ivan Sutherland, the fruit is vinified into a robust Burgundian styling by James Healy, both contributed to the genesis at neighbouring Cloudy Bay. An ambitious collation of Dijon clones 777, 667 and 115, Pommard clone 5, Abel and 10/5 from the illustrious Dog Point Vineyard.

An exclusively South Island Pinot Noir, sourced from a number of small growers in the esoteric and bohemian quarter of vineyards around Nelson River, with components drawn from good sites in Marlborough. A variety of clones, as well as some diverse microclimes, have provided a great spectrum of flavours to craft an elegant, distinctively varietal, engagingly complex wine. An exemplary, regionally focused Pinot Noir with gentle spice and ample cherry fruit, clearly planned with good food in mind. Raise a glass to all those dedicated, independent growers.

Single vineyard winemaking and Pinot Noir go hand in hand, such is this noble varietals faculty for translating terroir into taste. This tempermental grape demands utmost sensitivity and care, the savoury, brooding characters of Martinborough Pinot Noir are revered and preserved by an artisanal winemaking team obsessed with quality. Eight clones of Pinot Noir, picked off more than forty different parcels on stony soils of the higher terraces at Te Muna Road Vineyard, are woven into a deep dark wine, unravelling layers of fruit and wrapped in silken textures.

Pinot Noir thrives throughout the favourable precincts of Marlborough, where Cloudy Bay have planted the best clones on the choicest sites, to realize harvests of the finest fruit. Crop levels are carefully controlled to ensure the grapes are brimming wth great concentration of flavour, selectively picked and treated to a regimen of old fashioned, tried and true, minimalist vinification techniques. Cloudy Bay are always richly layered with complexity, fruit driven yet exquisitely dry, finely structured and supported by ripe, licorice textured tannins.

Central Otago's seminal winemaking estate, Chard Farm's magnificent storage cellar employs the old world technique of sitting barrels on bare earth pits that have been filled with gravel. This lets the cellar breath but more importantly keeps the humidity high, thereby preventing a lot of wine evaporation, known to those who are well abreast of things wine as the angels share. This is particularly important in the naturally low humidity climes of Central Otago.

From deciding which rows to pick on what day, right through to the ferments, pressing and aging in oak, Catalina Sounds are meticulous in their pursuit of an exuberantly wild fermented, complex and structured wine. All the while keeping in mind that minimal intervention is the best approach to handling the noble but capricious Pinot Noir. Sounds of White demands Leading with its ripe red nose of forest berries, raspberry and cola notes, her palate is silken and elegant, such powerful fruit notes, all framed by ripe tannins and flattering oak, resolving on a long, technicolor, peacock tail finish.

Catalina Sounds prefer to allow Pinot Noir to express itself, for a wine that's structured and elegant, approachable and food friendly. Working to principles of sustainable land management and good governance of the environment, Pinot Noir grapes are de-stemmed into a mix of open fermenters and French oak to create an interesting, more savoury style. Strawberries, nutmeg and white pepper florals, lovely Pinot flavours of sour cherry and spice over a length of velvet tannins. Fresh and vibrant, the perfect food lovers Pinot, ideally alongside rillettes of duck or game bird cassoulet.

An assemblage of Pinot Noir from Brancott's Marlborough growers with a conspicuous component of fruit harvested off good vineyards in Wairau Valley. The alluvial soils of Marlborough produce fine aromatic wines with balanced, natural acidity. A dominance of classic varietal fruit characters, cherries, rhubarb and strawberry are all supported by hints of oaken spice and a fine velvet tannin structure, enhanced by the clonal complexity and expression of terroir.

Ata Rangi are one of the new world's great artisanal Pinot Noir specialists. Their vines are planted to some very special soils indeed, terroir and mesoclime remain king. In producing two Pinot wines, grapes are meticulously hand sorted as they arrive at the winery. About ten months later, a blind tasting, barrel by barrel, decides the first cut. The significant vine age expresses itself in a depth, breadth and complexity of character, articulating the distinctive sense of place, while contributing significantly to the consistency of quality year after year.

A Pinot adherent's paradise, grown to the most splendid winegrowing terroirs in all Martinborough. Only the oldest and most revered parcels are included, the fabled Abel clone, smuggled from Burgundy in the mid 1970s makes up the backbone. Ata Rangi is assiduously crafted to express an intensity of style and purity of varietal charm. Vine age is clearly a factor, it expresses itself as a depth, breadth and complexity of character, while articulating a distinctive sense of place, contributing significantly to the consistency and quality of Ata Rangi year after year.

Positioned at the very southwest tip of New Zealand's north isle, Martinborough is one of the new world's great winegrowing regions, not much is produced here but it is all crazy good. Pinot Noir is the cultivar of choice, small amounts of finely fashioned vintages, conspicuously crafted by a league of artisanal boutique estates and demonically possessed winemakers. Ata Rangi is home to the oldest vines in the region, priceless plantings which are source of the most exquisite Pinot Noir, New Zealand flagships, the Premier Cru of the Pacific.

There's a seam of clay soils which thread their way across the predominantly alluvial gravels of Martinborough Terrace. McCrone is planted to the distinctly cooler climes on this unique vein, stimulating the vines to concentrate flavours and line the lucky grapes with velvety satin tannins. McCrone Pinot Noir is set somewhat apart from the enduring Ata Rangi style, defined by a lively cast of fruit characters and invigorating flow of energy which flows along the length of palate, its elegance and structure make for a mesmerising, engaging wine.

Crafted from the pick of Martinborough Pinot Noir, clones 5 and 10/5, Abel and a suite of younger Dijon, all grown to the elite of New Zealand viticulture. Fashioned to regimens which are very old world, with a view to constructing a wine which would be familiar to the Vignerons du Bourgogne. Wild ferments, hand plunges and French oak, achieve a wine of truffled game complexity, graceful tannins and polished, refined sophistication. Proprietor Clive Paton was made Officer of the NZ Order of Merit, for his contribution to conservation and viticulture.

Ata Rangi founder Clive Paton has long been an avid tree planter and has won a number of awards for his significant contribution to the environment. Paton approached the Project Crimson team for advice and support, a charitable conservation trust established for the protection of New Zealand's iconic native red flowering Christmas trees, the pohutukawa, the northern and southern rata. Crimson is sourced primarily from vines between ten and twenty years of age, which yield grapes that express the more aromatic spectrum of Martinborough Terrace.

A single magnificent parcel of Pinot Noir vines, planted to the gravelly Lochar soils of a rocky knoll on Amisfield Block in Central Otago 1. The parched plantings send their roots deep into the inhospitable terrains, struggling for water and yielding meagre harvests of the most intensely flavoured fruit.

Grown to the the Waenga silty loam soils of Amisfield's lower terraces on the parched, chilly mesoclimes of Central Otago, the challenging aspects yield a comely harvest of Pinot Noir which translates into a piquant Rosé of juicy berry flavours and light tannin profile. Grapes are all hand picked and cold soaked for a day or two, extracting rakish hues and a measure of savouryness. Vibrant pomegranate and watermelon nose, a palate of fresh red berry sorbet characters before crisp lingeringly dry finish, a portion of seasoned French oak ferments adds notes of caramel.

Hand picked fruit and a measure of whole bunch clusters, barely crushed and cold soaked for a wild indigenous yeast ferment, gently plunged and delicately pumped over, to extract gross solids while preserving textural integrity, followed by an extended soak up of optimal tannins and ten months maturation in good French oak. Youthful aromatic expressions of sweet red cherries, mulberries and plum, a fully complex and lingering palate, the oak is light and subtle to complement the fine grained tannins, juicy winegum flavours and savoury, morello acidity.