Falconhead Marlborough Pinot Noir

Falconhead Marlborough Pinot Noir has aromas of bright cherry, fresh strawberry and mulberry fruit aromas with a touch of forest floor complexity.

The elegant palate of Falconhead Marlborough Pinot Noir shows great fruit purity combined with a fine weight and balance.

The fruit for this wine comes from their Wairau and Awatere valleys vineyards in Marlborough.

The Wairau fruit tends to be earthier with stronger tannins than the Awatere fruit which generally has prettier uplifted aromatics and softer structure. Brix at harvest was between 23.5 and 25.

Winemaking for Falconhead Marlborough Pinot Noir begins with fermentation on skins in Marlborough, employing plunging and some natural fermentation. http://www.wineportfolio.co.nz/wineportfolio/our-brands/falconhead/

The wine is on skins for 7 to 10 days. After pressing the wine is transported to our Hawkes Bay winery for MLF and barrel maturation in new and used French oak barriques.

Following 12 months maturation the components are graded and blended prior to bottling in Katikati.

Established in 1978 by kiwifruit farmer Morton Brown, the original Morton vineyard in Katikati produced its first vintage in 1983.

With expansion since Morton Estate now has vineyards in Hawkes Bay on the east coast of the North Island, and Marlborough on the northern tip of the South Island.

"The New Zealand falcon has been a revered guardian of our vineyards for decades.

At our Riverview Vineyard on the banks of the Ngaruroro River in Hawkes Bay, we housed and trained a male and female falcon whose seemingly effortless grace held us rapt for many years.

The only remaining bird of prey endemic to New Zealand helps us with our natural sustainability program by managing pest control operations.

To this day we still have a resident falcon who often visits the feeding station we’ve set up as a token of appreciation to this flying celebrity who also graces our country’s $20 bill."

Falconhead Marlborough Pinot Noir - Hay Wines