Pyramid Valley North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2021

This wine brings together three vineyards in North Canterbury: Three Sisters on Mackenzies Road in Waipara, planted on Rangitata gravels; the Porters family vineyard on Mackenzies Road in Waipara, planted in 2004 on Domett Clay soils on an east-facing slope; and the Springs vineyard planted in the early 1980s on Omihi clay soils.  The grapes were picked by hand and fermented with indigenous yeasts in open-top fermenters, with 20% whole bunches included. The wine aged in French oak barrels (20% new) for 12 months before settling in stainless steel on light lees for a further six months. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Pyramid Valley Central Otago Manata Pinot Noir 2021

Pyramid Valley opened a new chapter of its story in 2018 when it purchased Jean and Roger Gibson’s highly regarded Lowburn Ferry vineyard in Central Otago’s Lowburn sub-region. Already winning national awards by 2003, the site was planted in 2000 on a gentle, north-facing slope with 30% own-rooted vines and a mix of clones—some of the oldest Pinot vines in Otago. A supplement of higher-density Pinot Noir was planted on a lower terrace in 2018 by Pyramid Valley’s biodynamic specialist, Nick Paulin, who lives on and manages the property. Now renamed Manata, paying homage to a romantic Māori legend of this region, soils are predominantly loess over deep silts that have developed pedogenic lime deposits. 2021 was the final year of organic conversion; as of 2022, the site has been certified organic by BioGro NZ. There are two wines made from this vineyard. The Manata Pinot is a selection of blocks, while a single-parcel Pinot Noir called Snake Tongue now forms part of the Botanical Selection. The grapes were hand-picked and fermented with indigenous yeasts in open-top concrete and oak fermenters, with 15% whole bunches included. The wine aged in French oak barrels (25% new) for 12 months before settling in concrete and wooden cuves on light lees for a further six months.

Pyramid Valley Earth Smoke Pinot Noir 2020

Biodynamic. Pyramid Valley’s Pinot Noir vineyards are densely planted on clay/limestone slopes. Earth Smoke sits on the richer soils of the two; an expansive, east-facing slope with strong, beautifully structured soils comparatively high in limestone. The name here comes from the nickname given to fumitory, a plant of the poppy family that can be found thriving in this 0.85-hectare plot. Although both wines share a familial DNA, the later-picked Earth Smoke is typically the more structured and darker of the two, with more fruit weight to go with its tender, fine tannins. The fruit for the 2020 was carefully hand-sorted, fully destemmed, and fermented wild. Following 21 to 27 days on skins, the juice was pressed and then settled in tank before being transferred by gravity to French barrels for 18 months.   The combination of high sunlight, high UV, moderate temperatures, and decent humidity is nirvana for temperate plants. Pyramid’s vines respond by harnessing all this energy to ripen grapes that are full of the delicate aromas, beautiful flavours and refined phenolics that are the benchmark for fine, cool-climate Pinot Noir (and often lost in warmer, more stressful climates). The 2020 Angel Flower and Earth Smoke are resplendent with this energy and the unique stamp of their particular part of the Waikari vineyard.

Pyramid Valley Lions Tooth Chardonnay 2020

Biodynamic. This 0.4-hectare site, like the wine that results, takes its name from the vineyard’s abundance of dandelions (dent-de-lion, or ‘lion’s tooth’ in French). These flowers predominate, apparently, because of the higher clay content in this parcel. It is a steeply inclined, east-facing site on soils that Weersing described as having a “…nut and crumb structure and great mineral fertility”. It’s the classic limestone and clay of the area, but here the higher balance of clay makes it the more vigorous of the two Chardonnay sites.  The winemaking is the same as the Field of Fire, yet the differences in the signature of place are apparent. Indeed, the compelling 2020 Lion’s Tooth shows how a slight change in aspect and soil can impact the finished wine in these edgy, cool-climate vineyards.

Pyramid Valley Angel Flower Pinot Noir 2020

Biodynamic. Angel Flower is the prettiest of many synonyms for yarrow, a grassland and pasture plant with delicate, fennel-like leaves and a brilliant mass of white flowers. Yarrow is the basis of the biodynamic preparation 502 and is strongly associated with mobilising natural sulphur and potassium in the soil.   Angel Flower is a cooler, more exposed block than Earth Smoke. The shallow soils and north-facing aspect here result in a more floral and aromatic wine, although the weight and shape of the palate have much in common with Pyramid’s other single-site Pinot. The team have also recently planted a little Chardonnay on these soils, recognising its potential as a great white wine terroir.

Pyramid Valley Angel Flower Pinot Noir 2016

Biodynamic. Angel Flower is a cooler, more exposed block than Earth Smoke. The shallow soils and north-facing aspect here result in a more floral and aromatic wine, although the weight and shape of the palate have much in common with Pyramid’s other single-site Pinot. Following Mike Weersing’s vineyard blueprints, the new team recently planted a little Chardonnay on these soils, recognising its potential also as a great white wine terroir.   Angel flower is the prettiest of many synonyms for yarrow, a grassland and pasture plant with delicate, fennel-like leaves and a brilliant mass of white flowers. Yarrow is the basis of the biodynamic preparation 502, and is strongly associated with mobilising natural sulphur and potassium in the soil. The winemaking for both wines is almost identical: picked by hand and partially crushed by foot, the wine fermented with its vineyard yeasts and was primarily raised in old French oak (just 10% new). It was bottled unfined and unfiltered.