Greenhough Stones Throw Pinot Noir 2021

Greenhough "Stones Throw" Pinot Noir, Nelson, South Island, New Zealand, 2021  

Grape: 100% Pinot Noir, organic, hand-harvested, average vine age 17 years, 9 months maturation in French oak (18% new).

Producer Tasting Note:

Together with its brambly, red-fruited freshness, the wine has a characteristic lightness and poise present here in  the excellent 2021 vintage. Attractively aromatic. Summer berry-fruits, citrus hints, floral notes and a lightly spiced, herbal fragrance. Suggestive of the outdoors, earthy, mushroom notes evolve as the wine opens in the glass. The palate is vibrant and brightly red-fruited with a light spicy savouriness and supple structure of well-bound tannins. There is a depth in the exotic guava and quince which have a secondary, preserve-like richness. A refreshing plum-skin tanginess and chalky, minerality balances these ripper flavours.

Critic's Tasting Note:

"Complex and inviting, the bouquet shows dark cherry, dried herb, game, nutmeg and warm spice aromas, leading to a wonderfully weighted palate offering excellent focus and drive. Splendidly textured and lingering with a structured finish. At its best: now to 2031.”

94/100 points, Wine Orbit, July 2024

The Greenhough Property:

In late 1990, a young couple left Auckland to re-settle in a rural pocket of Nelson, encouragingly named ‘Hope’. Swapping city for country life, Andrew and Jenny took on a four- hectare property determined to create something of their own. The vineyard had been partially established in the mid-70s by a pioneer amateur winemaker. From a single hectare planted in the mid-1970s, their home vineyards have grown to almost nine. Prized parcels of original vines planted in 1976 remain as some of the oldest in the region. The nearby Morison Vineyard, established in 2000, adds a further four hectares. Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay are the mainstays of the estate's plantings, with small blocks of additional Riesling, Pinot Blanc and Gewurztraminer providing 'colour' to the grape varieties grown here.

Food Match: Wild mushrooms, fillet steak and game dishes