Paddy Borthwick ‘Paper Road’ Wairarapa Pinot Noir 2021 (12 Bottles) Wairarapa, New Zealand

NEW ZEALAND WIDE SHIPPING INCLUDED

I always describe this wine as 95% of the quality of Martinborough Pinot Noir at 5% of the price. This vintage has received 95 points from Decanter and four gold medals.

This is about the purity of Pinot Noir with spicy savoury and bright, juicy red florals and fruits. It is medium bodied with soft velvety tannins, a mix of tart and sweet cherry fruit with a chocolate touch to the lightly oaked finish and a spicy zestiness to the lingering aftertaste.

The growing season for the 2021 vintage saw little to no rain in November and December 2020. This produced shorter canopy heights but provided ideal conditions for fruit set. The low rainfall continued for the remainder of the growing season into late March, leading to earlier flavour development in the fruit with no disease pressure. Grapes were picked between March 18th to April 8th, 2021. Beautiful ripe fruit resulting in an overall quality vintage.

Diurnal temperature fluctuations, low rainfall, low humidity, and fantastic deep free draining soils combine to create an exceptional environment for Pinot Noir. Harvested from 3 vineyards allows selection of the best batches to consistently produce pure Pinot Noir.

Temperature controlled fermentation using a mixture of natural and inoculated yeasts combined with hand plunging to optimize the fruit and tannin balance. Following extended post-ferment maceration on skins the wine was drained and pressed to barrel. Rigorous barrel selection and blending is followed by minimal fining and filtration prior to bottling.