Greywacke Marlborough Pinot Noir 2023

Greywacke was founded in 2009 by Kevin Judd, the founding chief winemaker at Cloudy Bay, where he spent 25 years shaping the wine that brought international attention to Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Greywacke represents Judd’s personal vision for the region, focusing on site expression, texture, and restraint rather than the overtly tropical style of his former role. Today, the vineyards are sustainably managed, with a growing proportion farmed organically, and wild (indigenous) yeast fermentations are widely used to add savoury complexity and build structure and mouthfeel.

The name Greywacke comes from the rounded greywacke river stones found in the soils of Judd’s first Marlborough vineyard in Rapaura, a sedimentary rock common throughout the region. Greywacke now works with carefully selected vineyard parcels across Marlborough, producing wines of clarity and balance. Alongside his winemaking, Judd is also one of New Zealand’s most respected wine photographers and the author of The Landscape of New Zealand Wine, reflecting his long-standing connection to Marlborough and its vineyards.

All fruit was grown in Marlborough's Southern Valleys and principally sourced from the Yarrum Vineyard situated on the Brancott / Ben Morven ridge. Typical of this subregion, the wind-blown loess soils are comprised of clay-loams with varying degrees of gravel content. The vineyards are all hillside plantings trained to two-cane VSP (vertical shoot positioning) with a vine density of 3,800 plants per hectare.

The grapes were hand-harvested and chilled overnight prior to hand-sorting. Most of the fruit was then destemmed into open-top fermenters, the majority of which also had a percentage of whole-bunch inclusion. The fruit was left to soak on skins prior to the onset of indigenous yeast fermentation, then plunged daily. After fermentation, the wine was pressed, racked and filled into French oak barriques (30% new). Individual clones were barrel-aged separately for 11 months, before blending in January 2024. The wine was bottled in June 2024.

Weather: A relatively dry winter was followed by unsettled spring conditions, including isolated frosts, which had the team monitoring temperatures and directing frost-fighting efforts. Minimal damage was sustained, but the intermittent cold nights continued well into spring, disrupting flowering and causing low berry numbers in some varieties. As summer progressed, El Niño settled into its signature warm, dry conditions, and Marlborough recorded a record high of 34.9 C in early February with very few rain episodes, to the point A drought was declared in mid-March. The harvest for Pinot Noir commenced on the last day of February. Despite the weather challenges, this was a superb, near-perfect harvest of pristine fruit with a generous depth of flavour across all varieties. Growing degree days tallied 1348, slightly warmer than the long-term average.

Technical Information:
Grape: 100% Pinot Noir
Region: New Zealand
Sub Region: Marlborough
Vineyard: Mainly 'Yarrum Vineyard'
Bottled: June 2024
TA: 5.6 g/l
pH:3.65
Alcohol: 14%
Drink: Now to 2035+

Tasting Note: Deeply coloured and exhibiting sweet and savoury aromatics displaying aromas of pumpernickel, bramble berries and the soft scent of lilac. The palate is bright and complex with notes of tamarillo, wild cherry and grilled nectarine flavours, underpinned by fine tannins and a long, driven finish.