Awards, Ratings & Reviews
95/100 — Robert Parker Wine Advocate · 2022 Vintage
Tasted: Feb 2025
When to drink: 2024 to 2037
About This Wine
During vineyard development the greatest care was taken to separate blocks according to soil, aspect and exposure differences. Clones and rootstocks were chosen with the philosophy that the more diversity each block had, the more complexity the resulting wines would display. Many different clones of Pinot Noir are planted on a variety of rootstocks. The first blocks were planted in 2003, and vineyard development has continued at a deliberate pace to ensure that only the best plant material has been used.
Each block within the respective vineyards is fermented separately in a combination of open-top wooden and stainless steel fermenters. The indigenous ferments are nurtured for 17–22 days and given a combination of gentle pump-overs and plunge-downs before being pressed off and transferred to French barrels.
The wine is aged for 11 months in barrel, with 20–30% new French oak.
Tasting Notes
Bright red fruits and floral notes unfold into darker layers of plum, blackberry, tapenade, and a hint of pepper. The palate carries a supple richness, with beautifully integrated oak and a fine sense of balance. Vibrant and delicious now, its mineral focus, layered complexity, and silky tannins promise even greater enjoyment with cellaring potential of 10+ years.
About the Producer
Burn Cottage Vineyard is wine producer located in Central Otago wine region of New Zealand's South Island. Established in 2002 by Marquis and Dianne Sauvage in 2002, it produces wine predominantly from the Pinot Noir grape variety.
The 24 hectare Burn Cottage estate sits in the foothills of the Pisa mountain range. Pinot Noir covers around 10 hectares of the land, mostly on slopes that face north and northeast. The small plots of Riesling and Grüner Veltliner are planted in a gully on east-facing slopes. The entire estate is farmed biodynamically.
In 2017 a second estate vineyard was purchased and named the Sauvage Vineyard. This northeast-facing site on Felton Road in Bannockburn was planted with 5.8 hectares of Pinot Noir in 1999.
The site's soils are lakebed and river silts, loams and quartz sands, quartz and schist gravels, with pockets of pedogenic lime commonly found in Central Otago’s semi-arid soils.
In the winery, Burn Cottage relies on natural yeasts for fermentation and limited sulfur use. A portion of whole bunches are often included to incorporate tannins into the fermenting wine. French oak barrels are sourced for barrel-aging with a portion of new oak selected for each wine.
Specifications
- Vintage: 2022
- Grape Variety: Pinot Noir
- Region: Bannockburn / Central Otago / New Zealand
- Fermentation: Indigenous yeasts, 17–22 days fermentation in open-top wooden and stainless steel fermenters
- Maturation: 11 months in French oak barrels (20–30% new oak)
- Alcohol: 13.5%
- Sweetness: Dry
- Ownership: Marquis & Dianne Sauvage
- Closure: Screwcap
- Drinking Window: 2024–2037
