TWR Clayvin SV Pinot Noir 2019

Reviews

Sam Kim, Wine Orbit: 98/100. It's splendidly ripe and alluring on the nose with red and purple fruit, violet, subtle spice, game and toasted nut nuances, leading to a superbly concentrated palate displaying outstanding depth and power. Mouthfilling and seamless, yet magnificently structured by abundance of fine-grained tannins. At its best: 2024 to 2035.

James Suckling (jamessuckling.com): 97/100 & Top Wines of New Zealand 2021. Trademark violet-like florals and an earthy edge to the ripe cherries and blueberries. There’s subtle complexity here, and this is a vintage of real fruit purity. The palate has a very impressively defined tannin weave with bright, gently tangy texture and a fresh, juicy core of red cherries and plums. The taut, fine tannin and crisp layering is a real feature. Drink or hold.

Cameron Douglas MS: 96/100 & Top Wines of New Zealand 2021. Youthful complex bouquet with a distinctive seam of minerality preceding aromas of ripe red berries, layers of oak spices and barrel ageing qualities. Black currant and dark cherry, raspberry and dried herb with a soft savoury layer adding complexity and breadth. Delicious on the palate – tense and young, vibrant, fresh and dry. Flavours mirror the bouquet accentuated by chalky tannins and acidity. Oak attributes layer in slowly, building structure and complexity as the wine relaxes in glass. Another outstanding example from the Flowerday team. Best drinking from 2023 through 2031+. Be quick!

Bob Campbell, MW (The Real Review): 96/100. Concentrated and quite floral pinot noir with violet, dark cherry, mixed spice and dried herb characters. Packed with layers of flavour without allowing any single flavour to dominate. A wine of depth and intensity. Should age well .

Tasting Note

This Pinot Noir exhibits a gorgeous perfumed fragrance of ripe raspberry and floral notes, with more brooding fruit and darker tones revealed underneath. The finely textured, silky tannins combine with vibrant flavours of ripe strawberries and omega plum with fantastic mid palate density. The palate carries onto more savoury and complex flavours and finishes with great line and length of finely grained supple tannin and well integrated oak. Bottled un-fined.

Aromas and flavours:

Additional information

Type: Red wine

Grape varial: Pinot Noir

Alcohol: 13% vol

Residual sugar: <1 g/l

Total acidity: 5.5 g/l

Food match: rich game meat dishes like a venison and juniper stew.

Vineyard: Clayvin, Southern Valleys.

Soil in Southern Valleys: These soil types are much older than the Wairau flood plain and have lower fertility and a much higher clay component which gives the wines more depth and structure.

Vintage: Anna & Jason Flowerday feel that this 2019 release showcases the best expression of the Clayvin site and the stellar quality of the Pinot Noir from great sites in Marlborough.

Winemaking: All fruit for this wine was hand-picked, hand-sorted then destemmed and individually berry sorted as to ensure that only pristine, perfect Pinot berries make it into the fermenters. Gently transferred to small one tonne open fermenters, hand plunged twice daily. Cold soak for 6-7 days, 5-7 day ferment, 10-14 days post ferment maceration. Small percentage whole bunch. Pressed off on taste then filled to oak after 24hrs. In oak for 11 months - all French oak barriques, various different coopers, 40% new, balance in older oak.

Production: 1464 bottles

Bottle size: 0.75l

Notice: contains sulfites. Bottled un-fined and with minimal filtration.

Cellaring potential: enjoyable to drink now and will also benefit from careful cellaring until 2027+.

Closure: Screwcap

Produced and bottled by: TE WHARE RA WINES, 56 Anglesea Street, Renwick, Marlborough, New Zealand

Imported and distributed by: vinabonus GmbH, Simmedenweg 40, 34134 Kassel, Germany

To all Pinot Noir wines