Escarpment Pinot Noir Martinborough 2018
WOW! Wow. wow. 93 POINT pinot noir primed to FLY out of the warehouse today! All the pinot-philes, all the Burghounds, even the Sonoma Coast Illuminati are talking about this wine right now. ESCARPMENT!!! From the cool, ocean-driven climate of Martinborough, New Zealand have we got a terroir-focused, elegant, downright sexy pinot for you! The PRICE!
This classy, layered pinot might just be your “epiphany” NZ experience. We did a ridiculous happy dance around the office when we tasted this...and then we learned it was one of the last wines made by the LEGENDARY Larry McKenna!! If you don’t already know, Larry is New Zealand’s “Prince of Pinot”, and known to many of his friends as Larry McPinot. When everyone was going ga-ga over cheap New Zealand sauvignon blanc in the early 2000s, Larry made it his life’s work to showcase pinot – choosing Martinborough as the ideal spot of soil, climate, and opportunity to make it thrive! He retired earlier this year, and the pinot-loving world will never be the same. What a SWAN SONG!
Sweetly perfumed, with bold and elegant fruit flavors, hints of spice, earth, and leather...this is a wicked-gnarly, blow-the-roof-like-die-hard level pinot of profound grace, pleasure, and...and...look, it ROCKS, ok? Black raspberries, summer strawberries, tart cherries, Earl Grey tea, gooseberries (yes, that’s a thing...), plus clove, graphite, tangerine peel...way too much going on for a pinot that’s traveled 6,744 miles just to be here – at the inconceivable price of just $25!!!
Yes. TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS! This is a deal to treasure, to hoard, to hop to and grab what you can, ‘cause we don’t have much! Stay thirsty, Last Bottlers.
Escarpment, defined as a long, steep slope that lies at the end of a plateau, is our unique place within Martinborough. Big open skies stretch across the Wairarapa, ‘glistening waters’ in te reo M?ori, and the ancient alluvial soils run deep beneath the land. There is natural balance here. The Aorangi Ranges, the very hills made famous, according to M?ori legend, by Kupe the great Polynesian voyager who discovered Aotearoa New Zealand, form an impressive backdrop to the vineyard. It is related that Kupe left his three canoes, Nga Waka, on top of the Aorangi Ranges, giving rise to the now familiar landmark of the district, which overlook the vineyard, the 'Nga Waka-o-Kupe' or the three flat-topped hills, which resemble unturned canoes. The warrior Kupe and his story provided the inspiration for the Escarpment’s flagship wine, Kupe.
Technical Details
Country: New ZealandRegion: North Island
Appellation: Martinborough
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Aging/Cooperage: It has been aged completely in French oak barriques, of which 25% were new, for 11 months
Alcohol: 13.00%
About The Producer
Escarpment strives to produce wines that capture a unique sense of place. Our home vineyard on Te Muna Road is situated just minutes east of Martinborough village, with 24 hectares of distinctive alluvial gravel, terraced land stretches out along the banks of the Huangarua River. The soils of the vineyard are alluvial loams that were formed by the Huangarua River over 20,000 years ago. With very deep alluvial gravels now layered over the loams this composition ensures exceptional drainage, one of the key prerequisites for nurturing and producing premium quality, healthy grape vines.
Much like the great wines of Burgundy, Escarpment’s names their top Pinot Noirs after the vineyards from which the grapes were grown, rather than the grape variety. The Single Vineyard Kupe, Pahi, Te Rehua and Kiwa demonstrate this philosophy with distinctive elegance and character.
Escarpment sources fruit from our own vineyards as well as from growers around the Martinborough township. We are lucky enough to enjoy long term, established relationships with our growers that is reflected in the quality of our wines.
Pairing Suggestions
Classic food pairing with any vintage includes red meats, especially game, and full-flavored pasta ragout dishes.
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