Framingham Marlborough Pinot Noir 2022
The nose is complex with attractive savoury notes of earth and spice, along with dark cherry, raspberry and floral nuances. The rounded palate has flavours of red berry compote and plum with savoury and flint notes. Well-integrated tannins give the wine a balanced structure.
This wine is a blend of six vineyard sites in the Wairau and Waihopai Valleys, featuring a mixture of seven different Pinot Noir clones. The majority (55%) of the fruit comes from the gravelly soils around the winery in Renwick, while the remainder (45%) comes from the clay soils of the Southern Valleys sub-region. All of the vineyards are trained using the double-cordon Guyot system. The vines are up to 25 years old.
Each parcel was hand picked and vinified separately with indigenous yeast. Whole bunches (15% overall) were used on a batch by batch basis to add subtle savoury characteristics. After spending an average of 21 days on their skins, each batch was aged for 10 months in French oak barriques, 20% of which were new. After maturation, the selected wines were blended and bottled, unfined and unfiltered.
| RRP | £25.99 |
| Bottle size | 75cl |
| Vintage | 2022 |
| Alcoholic strength | 13.5% |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Marlborough |
| Grapes | Pinot Noir 100% |
| Vegetarian | Yes |
| Vegan | Yes |
| Organic | No |
| Biodynamic | No |
| Closure | Screwcap |
Based in Marlborough, Framingham is home to some of the oldest Riesling vines in the region, with their first plantings dating back to 1981. Though still focused on Riesling, they now produce a range of wines from their 19.5-hectare estate vineyard, certified organic in 2014, alongside other carefully selected sites across Marlborough. Their reputation is such, that Jancis Robinson has described Framingham as “one of the finest producers of Riesling, both in and outside Germany”.
Andrew Brown joined Framingham as head winemaker in January 2020, succeeding Dr Andrew Hedley who previously made the wines for 18 years. A highly regarded winemaker, Brown worked with Dr Andrew as assistant winemaker for seven years before consulting in famed wine regions such as Oregon, Central Otago, and Alsace. Like his predecessor, Riesling is a great love of Andrew’s and his reverence for the grape is reflected in the remarkable examples he makes for Framingham.
