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The Herd Pinot Noir Three-Pack
$180.00
The Herd wines come from a single block within the Auntsfield vineyard, set in Marlborough’s Southern Valleys. The block sits on a steep, north-east-facing clay hillside, and has been certified BioGro since 2024. Two Pinot Noir clones, 777 and Abel, are planted side by side and split evenly between three collaborative winemakers from Auntsfield, Sorrell Wines and The Marlborist.
Each team takes care of their own shoot thinning, leaf plucking, fruit thinning and hand picking. All three wines are made entirely from this fruit, using a 50/50 mix of the two clones to keep the focus entirely on winemaking style rather than clonal variation.
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2023 Sorrell The Herd Pinot Noir
Tasting Note: The nose shows Black Doris plum, dark cherry, and subtle thyme, supported by well-integrated oak spice. The palate is defined by a core of plum and tart cherry, layered with toasty spice and mineral undertones. Firm tannins and vibrant acidity create tension and drive, balanced by fruit concentration and elegance. The wine finishes long and savoury, with lingering tannins and a touch of salinity.
Winemakers Notes: The grapes were gravity fed into open top fermenters with a total of 20% whole bunch inclusion. The inoculation occurred with yeast from 'The Herd' block. The skins were gently pumped over and punched down once a day during the peak of fermentation. The total time on skins was 25 days before being gently pressed and drained into 4 years old French oak where the wine aged for 16 months. In spring, malolactic fermentation occurred naturally.
Viticultural Notes: In the 2022/23 season, Matt, Dan and Roberta performed meticulous vineyard work to control disease risk and achieve ultralow yields. Canopy management included perfectly timed shoot thinning, hand leaf plucking and bunch thinning to achieve balance and dappled fruit exposure to sunlight. Vines carried no more than one bunch per shoot, amplifying site expression. Fruit was hand harvested in pristine condition on 23 March 2023 for clone 777 and 31 March for clone Abel.
2023 Auntsfield The Herd Pinot Noir
Tasting Note: Splendidly fruited, the immensely complex bouquet reveals Black Doris plum, dark cherry, floral thyme with nuances of dark chocolate, cigar box and toasted spice. The palate exhibits outstanding concentration and persistence. The silky texture is complimented with velvety tannins. A multi-layered, elegant and sophisticated wine.
Analysis: Alc. 14.0% | pH 3.53 | TA 5.10 g/L
Winemakers Notes: The fruit for this wine was hand-picked into small baskets then carefully and diligently hand sorted to ensure that no less than perfect fruit entered the winery. This fruit was then gently destemmed and moved to tank by gravity. A combination of indigenous and cultured yeasts was nurtured through fermentation in open topped tanks. Careful use of hand plunging was used to gently extract the flavours and tannins from the skins. Maturation occurred in French barriques for approximately 15 months.
Viticultural Notes: Vigour and fertility in this block is very low resulting from the dense Loess Clay and the lack of top soil. Vines are exposed to the strong hillside winds reducing shoot length and reducing berry size. These vines are spur pruned, then extensively shoot thinned and leaf plucked by hand to retain 18 small bunches per vine. The main slope block contributes earthy, dense, rich, ripe and savoury characters result from the high mineral Loess Clay soils the vines grow in.
2023 The Marlborist The Herd Pinot Noir
Tasting Note: An ethereal, highly perfumed Pinot Noir hailing from Marlborough's Southern Valleys. A delicious combination of blueberries, red cherries and Black Doris plum are underpinned by finely structured tannins, with hints of liquorice and clove spice and a dry, earthy finish.
Analysis: Alc. 14.0% | pH 3.75 | TA 5.10 g/L
Winemakers Notes: Selectively picked over two weeks starting March 24th, the fruit was harvested by hand and transported to the winery where it was chilled overnight. The majority of fruit was carefully destemmed into small fermentation vessels while a portion of whole-bunch fruit was also included. After several days cold-soaking on skins, the fermentation spontaneously commenced by indigenous yeast and was followed by gentle, daily hand-plunging. Following fermentation, the wine was drained off skins and transferred to a combination of seasoned French oak puncheons and barrels. The wine was aged in oak for 24 months before and settled in tank for eight months prior to bottling in November 2025.
Viticultural Notes: Fruit was sourced from an elevated north-east facing hillside on the historic Auntsfield Vineyard in the Ben Morven Valley. An even split of clones 777 and Abel were grown on wind-blown, loess clay soils overlying greywacke bedrock that typify the sub-region. A combination of low yields and organic practices allow the vines to ripen beautiful, black bunches of intensely flavoured fruit.
