EMMA MARRIS PINOT NOIR 2022

TASTING NOTE

This inaugural Emma Marris
Pinot Noir is elegant yet powerful
with vibrant red berry and plum
characters interspersed with savoury
notes of black olive, ground clove,
mocha, and the subtle nuance of
graphite. The palate deftly balances
a plush, fine grained tannin texture
with an acid freshness that together
promotes and sustains the inherent
fruit vibrancy.

FOOD MATCHING

Best enjoyed with any flavoursome
cut of Leefield Station Angus beef
such as Al Brown’s chargrilled skirt
steak with chimichurri and crispy
potatoes.

CELLARING POTENTIAL

This Pinot Noir will drink well from
release with a firm focus on the
primary fruit-based elements but
will continue to reveal more depth
and complexity with time in the
bottle through to late 2033

ORIGIN

Leefield Station Vineyard, Waihopai Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand.

FROM THE WINEMAKER

Hand harvested from a selection of
clones grown on our Leefield Station
Vineyard. The fruit ripens late in
the season on sun-drenched gently
sloping foothills, where clays meet
schist and gravels.

Upon reaching the winery the
fruit was destemmed into small
fermenters without crushing, with
a portion kept as whole bunches to
provide structure and complexity.
The grapes were cold-soaked for 5
to 7 days to develop density of
colour, before the onset of a rapid,
warm fermentation. The ferments
were hand-plunged up to 4 times
each day to keep the skins in
intimate contact with the fermenting
juice, then left to macerate for an
additional 5 days post fermentation,
ensuring optimum flavour
development and tannin integration.

The young wine was drained and
pressed before being aged in 75%
new French oak puncheons for 11
months, with malolactic fermentation
occurring as the weather warmed.
This wine was bottled unfiltered in
March 2023.

ANALYSIS

• Alcohol                    13.5%
• pH                            3.68
• Titratable Acidity    5.52g/L
• Residual Sugar        0.36g/L
• Vegan Certified

VINTAGE

Record rainfall in July, August and a warm start to September, permitted an energetic start to the growing season. This coincided with double the usual number of frosts which were replaced by warmer temperatures and humid northerly airflows in October. Early season varieties flowered rapidly while later season varietals were slightly challenged by a cool, wet start to December. Increasing temperatures and a warm, dry January ultimately ensured an abundance of fruit.

Despite heavy February rains, good vineyard practice and increased sunshine hours through the tail end of February meant the vast majority of the resulting fruit was clean and ripe.

Harvesting began in early March due to early season disease pressure with positive fruit flavours indicating physiological ripeness.

The team are excited about the structural diversity and bright complex flavours of the 2022 wines.

GOLD

• Mundus Vini Spring Tasting 2024

93 POINTS

• The Real Review: Bob Cambell 2023

"Gently aromatic pinot noir with plum and dark cherry aromas that repeat on the palate where they are joined by blackberry and raspberry. A delicious fruit bomb that promises to be a real crowd-pleaser."