Palliser Estate Pinot Noir, Martinborough

Description

Palliser Estate Pinot Noir is made from 100% Pinot Noir sourced from the Martinborough wine-growing region at the very south of New Zealand’s North Island.

Palliser Estate is a prominent winery located in Martinborough. Founded in the mid-1980s, Palliser Estate has become one of the leading producers in the Martinborough wine region, known for its focus on quality and sustainability. Palliser Estate itself is located in the small village of Martinborough and is named after the local geographical landmark of Cape Palliser which was, in turn, named after a British Naval Officer by Captain James Cook.

The first grapes were planted at Palliser Estate in 1984 with the first commercial wines were released in 1989 and the first exports in 1991. Today, the estate comprises some 92 hectares (around 228 acres) of vineyards planted with mainly Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc along with some Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. . The vineyards are located on the “Martinborough Terrace,” a small yet unique area of land at the southern end of the North Island. 

Palliser Estate places a lot of importance (more than many) on good vineyard practices. They train their vines to achieve a low canopy density and well-exposed fruit. This combined with judicious leaf plucking produces the distinctive fruit flavours in the wine. When the grapes are judged to be at their optimum maturity they are harvested and processed to retain the inherent fruitiness of this varietal.

The grapes for the Palliser Estate Pinot Noir are sourced from the estate’s various vineyards. 93% of the fruit comes from Palliser’s organic Hua Nui, Pencarrow and Winery vineyards, with the balance from the Palliser vineyard. The fruit is handpicked with 10% whole cluster. A period of cold soak followed by wild fermentations and gentle pump-overs and plunging. The wine is pressed to French Oak barrels and left to mature for 10 months during which time it undergoes malolactic fermentation to soften the wine and add complexity before bottling. 

Palliser Estate is very serious about sustainability and was the first winery in the world to be awarded ISO 14001-2004 Certification, which effectively means they adhere to a sustainable environmental management system.