Blank Canvas Escaroth Pinot Noir 2020

Cellar for up to 10 years. Decanting is optional, up to 30 minutes before serving.

Red and blue fruits mingle on the nose of this elegant Pinot Noir. Scents of earth, game and warm spices linger below, hinting at its savoury character. The grapes were sourced from Escaroth vineyard (named after “lake town” from The Hobbit) in Marlborough, New Zealand, where low-yielding vines grow on ancient clay deposits.

Blank Canvas is one of New Zealand’s finest boutique wineries, focusing on small batches of single-vineyard wines. It was founded in 2013 by Matt Thomson and Sophie Parker-Thomson, a Master of Science and a Master of Wine respectively, with a shared passion for the region of Marlborough. In 2023, The Real Review named Blank Canvas as the best winery in Marlborough, bookmarking it as a must-watch producer in the years to come.

Escaroth is a refined, graceful and deeply savoury wine, packed with notes of pomegranate, red cherry and spice. It was aged in French oak barrels for 12 months, granting the wine a toasty undercurrent and a structure of finely-grained tannins. Hints of dried rosemary and soil minerality lurk underneath the surface and the entire experience is driven by a taut acidity. Consider pairing Escaroth with a grilled rack of lamb, vegetable tagine, or mushroom risotto.