Jasmine, pear and ripe nectarine define the playful bouquet of our Pinot Blanc 2020. The weighted palate is rounded off by a whisper of sweetness and an inviting, gentle acidity.
It’s our Moutere clay soils, the dazzling Nelson sun and the finger prints of our team that make our wines unique. We hope you’ll enjoy!
Enjoy it with:
New Zealand crayfish, smoked salmon with fresh coriander on cream cheese and sesame-seed crackers, Asian stir-fry, pumpkin risotto, creamy pasta, grilled asparagus, Alsatian onion tart
Reviews
Crystal pale with lemon edges. Nashi pear and peach aromas follow through to the full-bodied, textural, moderately weighty palate that's beautifully rounded and concentrated with delicate floral nuances and touches of musk.
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4½ Stars Michael Cooper
Handled without oak, the 2020 vintage is invitingly scented and mouthfilling, with vibrant peach, pear, lychee and spice flavours, a hint of apricot,
excellent delicacy and depth, and an off-dry finish. A powerful wine, it should be long-lived; best drinking 2022+.
This is only the second edition of the Blackenbrook Pinot Blanc and it shows without doubt the vineyard site is perfect for extracting the very best from the variety.
The beautiful, weighty texture on the palate hints at the intensity of flavour to come, flavours that reflect the aromas. The flavours are mouth-wateringly delicious and are balanced with a touch of freshness.
For me the key things that points to this variety being part of the Pinot family are the hints of Pinot Gris with the phenolics in the Pinot Blanc variety create a significant difference making it a delightful wine. There are intriguing liquorice-like characters in the very long finish that add to the complexity.
This is a five star wine and one that will certainly find itself attached to my credit card and a place in our cellar.
Winemaker Daniel Schwarzenbach said “the fruit came in really ripe, just amazing. The variety has big bunches, it’s a heavy cropper so needs to be managed well in the vineyard. We fermented it in stainless steel with no oak or barrel ferment, no lees stirring but we added back a small amount of last year’s vintage that has been stored in old, neutral barrels and that brings some texture to the party.
Because we only have one vineyard site we don’t have the benefit of blending wines from different vineyards so we create those blends in the winery by retaining a small amount for blending back next year.
220 cases produced
Neil Hodgson
90/100 Cameron Douglas MS
Aromas of quince and apple, pear and fruit spice. There's a lovely core of minerality showcasing wet stone and a light silty clay layer. Flavours transition to white fleshed fruit on the palate with a satin texture accentuated by warming alcohol. Contrasting refreshing acidity leads to more flavours of citrus and spice. Balanced and well made. Best from today and through 2024.
Cameron Douglas MS
90/100 NZ Wine Rater, winerater.co.nz
Ripe, lifted bouquet with attractive aromas of white peach, stone fruit, manuka honey and hints of pine nut and cinnamon. Full, lush, textural mouth-filling wine with soft acidity and a lingering, off-dry finish.
Steve Bennett MW & Lynnette Hudson
17.5 / 20 Joelle Thomson
This full bodied Pinot Blanc’s aromatic appeal is enhanced by 9 grams of residual sugar per litre which makes the wine off dry but superbly balanced by moderate zingy acidity giving an interesting thread of taste to the palate.
This Nelson wine brand is one of the few making a Pinot Blanc and what a wine it is. Dry, full bodied but with a light touch thanks to its floral aromas and lovely intensity of flavour. It delivers plenty for the price tag.
Joelle Thomson
Season Overview
What a blast! The past growing season was a pure delight, putting smiles on everyone’s face!
The vines loved the gentle spring rain and quickly produced a healthy, vibrantly green canopy. In December, our Nelson sun made for perfect flowering and good pollination.
Summer brought many weeks of blue skies, interspersed with brief rain falls, just enough to keep the soil moisture up and the vines thriving.
We couldn’t believe our luck when we saw this weather pattern continue right into harvest in mid-March! The fruit was in perfect condition with high sugar levels and tremendous flavour intensity, probably the best we’ve ever seen it!
As Covid-19 started to cast long shadows over the country, we managed to complete harvest 2020 just hours before the start of lockdown!
From Sustainable Production, accredited by Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand
Vegan wine
