Walnut Block Collectables Pinot Noir 2024, Marlborough, New Zealand, Organic

Walnut Block Collectables Pinot Noir is a certified organic red from brothers Clyde and Nigel Sowman’s family estate in the Rapaura sub-region of Marlborough’s Wairau Valley. The vines grow on alluvial soils left by an ancient riverbed. The Pinot Noir was planted in 2001 with Burgundy clones and is farmed organically, certified by BioGro New Zealand. The grapes are hand-picked and chilled overnight to around 2°C to protect their delicate flavours, and the wine is aged for 9 to 12 months in French oak barriques.

In the glass it is a deep crimson. The nose is perfumed with ripe summer red fruits, red and dark cherry, plum and spice, with earthy undertones and delicate oak. The palate is elegant and fruit-driven, with red cherry and strawberry, a savoury edge and a touch of spicy oak, gentle acidity and fine, soft tannins on a smooth finish.

Serve slightly cool, at around 14–16°C. It is lovely with roast pork, lamb, duck, salmon, mushroom dishes and soft cheeses. Walnut Block Collectables Pinot Noir is delicious young and will also keep for a few years.

Walnut Block is a boutique family winery in Marlborough’s Wairau Valley, founded in 2005 by brothers Clyde and Nigel Sowman, who bring together experience in viticulture and the wine industry. Clyde manages the business while Nigel looks after the vineyard. Their 17-hectare vineyard in the Rapaura sub-region was first planted in 1996 on alluvial soils left by an ancient riverbed, and takes its name from Marlborough’s oldest walnut tree, which still stands among the Sauvignon Blanc vines. The brothers chose to farm organically because they believed it would give finer-quality grapes, and the estate is certified organic by BioGro New Zealand. Over time they have found the vines more self-sufficient, giving wines with greater depth and mouthfeel. The Nutcracker range, made from the best fruit, is their flagship.