Escarpment Kupe Pinot Noir 2020

Drink it now or cellar for up to 15 years. No need to decant but best to open it half an hour before service.

Located in Martinborough on New Zealand’s North Island since the 1980s, Escarpment is a prestigious winery renowned above all for its excellent Pinot Noirs. The estate spans approximately 24 hectares of vineyards, where Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Gris are also cultivated, adhering to sustainability standards and showing deep respect for the terroir and biodiversity.

Kupe is made from Abel-clone Pinot Noir grapes sourced from the estate’s historic vineyard along Te Muna Road on the Martinborough Terrace. Here, the vines, planted in 1999, benefit from soils composed of ancient gravel and alluvial deposits over a limestone subsoil, enjoying a cool, breezy climate with significant diurnal temperature variation that fosters well-balanced acidity. Following careful selection and hand-harvesting, fermentation occurs spontaneously using indigenous yeasts. The finished wine then ages in French oak for approximately 16 months.

In the glass, the wine reveals an intense ruby ​​hue and a broad, layered aromatic profile, opening with notes of plum and sour cherry, followed by hints of spice and forest floor. On the palate, it is rich, concentrated, and smooth, with fine tannins and a pleasant mineral streak. It is elegant, fresh, and juicy, with a long, complex finish. Try it with roast pigeon or partridge.