Aroma
Quite dark and brooding on the nose initially but
opens up to reveal beautiful blue and crunchy red fruit
that sits nicely alongside the earthy spice of newer oak.
Palate
The palate is quite plush, with ripe dark fruit and finely
powdered tannins.
Vinification
Small parcels of fruit were harvested over 5 days by
both hand and machine. The handpicked fruit was
mostly destemmed, with a small percentage of whole
bunches across several fermenters. Exceptional fruit
meant wild yeasts completed the fermentation.
The parcels are gently handled with 1-2 pump overs
per day in the peak of ferment. Batches spent 18 -
23 days on skins before draining and pressing. The
wine is matured in French oak (12% new) for 11
months before grading the individual batches. The
selected barrels are blended in February and bottled
in March prior to the next harvest. This wine has
been made without any finings and is vegan friendly.
Cellaring Potential
Drink early over the next 2-3 years to enjoy fresher primary
fruit, though this wine will continue improve and develop
complex tertiary characters for the next 7+ years.
Vintage Notes
2024 was a truly remarkable growing season that was
marked by dry, warm weather. A significant late season
frost and a cooler start to flowering in December created
low yields across much of the region – a factor that Pinot
Noir thrives under.
With no disease pressure, and the driest summer in
Marlborough for over 90 years our Pinot Noir was
harvested in small batches over 5 days. The earliest and
quickest harvest in many years.
Food Matching
Crispy duck pancakes, grilled quail, pulled pork, seared
salmon with barbecued beetroot.
Region Notes
The 2024 Catalina Sounds Pinot Noir is sourced
exclusively from two vineyard sites – our estate vineyard
Sound of White and a dedicated grower vineyard. These
are both situated in the sought-after Southern Valleys
sub-district where the inherent soils, comprised of clay
loams and fine gravels create wines with depth and
finesse. The blocks vary in age with a range of clones
and yields are restricted to ensure quality is the main
driver over volume.
