The 2022 Botanicals Collection marks the first release of a full suite of five wines, including the four original wines from our Waikari home vineyard and the second release of Snake’s Tongue Pinot Noir from our Mānatu vineyard in Central Otago.
We are incredibly happy with the expression from each block in 2022. The La Niña weather pattern during the 2021/2022 growing season brought distinct differences in conditions between North Canterbury and Central Otago and has created some unique and exciting wines.
At our Mānatu vineyard, we experienced a typically dry and warm season, with 1074 GDD (Growing Degree Days) and 329.1mm of rainfall from September to April. This produced a refined expression of Snake’s Tongue, with elegance, poise, and a fine, chalky structure with a great purity of fruit for which Central Otago is known.
Our Waikari home vineyard experienced a cooler, wetter season, recording 860.3 GDD and 504.8mm of rain during the same period. The season felt like an emotional rollercoaster. We navigated frost without damage, and regular rainfall helped the vines get off to a good start, resulting in healthy canopies. The summer never really got going under the influence of La Niña, and despite good flowering conditions that led to solid yields, a wetter February (with 200mm of rain) kept us on edge. Thanks to our diligent farming practices and some much-needed sunshine in March and April, we harvested exceptional fruit at the end of April, crafting beautiful expressions of Field of Fire, Lion’s Tooth, Angel Flower, and Earth Smoke. These wines exhibit vibrancy and elegance, reflecting the cooler season and the great efforts of the whole team.
Pyramid Valley Botanicals Collection
~ 2022 RELEASE ~
"We rarely discuss the human element in terroir, yet great wines are born from a deep connection between individuals and great vineyard sites. It’s through this understanding of the land, wines can be made that share the voice of the place. Without this care and commitment, we wouldn’t have the privilege of tasting and drinking wines that reflect these unique places".
- Huw Kinch, Pyramid Valley Winemaker
These 2022 wines remind me of the significance of the hard work put in by everyone involved in creating something from the land. Even in unpredictable seasons, when all those efforts come together, the land still has so much to say…
It's also exciting to hear the voice of our Snake's Tongue block emerge, displaying a more refined character each year. This site in the Lowburn Valley, beneath the Pisa Range, marries Central Otago's renowned ripeness and power with a unique microclimate. The sheltered aspect slows ripening compared to other sites in the region, an the lakbed-derived soils with pedogenic lime and higher organic matter provide a distinctive foundation. The regenerative farming practices led by the team at Mānatu are enhancing soil health, vine vitality, and ultimately wine quality. It's a privilege to watch this block evolve and show more of itself each year.
Huw Kinch, Winemaker
“This is the best suite of wines from the new custodianship of PV.”
~ Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
- 2022 Field of Fire Chardonnay
- 2022 Lion's Tooth Chardonnay
- 2022 Angel Flower Pinot Noir
- 2022 Earth Smoke Pinot Noir
- 2022 Snake's Tongue Pinot Noir
Field of Fire Chardonnay
Viticulture
Planted between 2000-2002 at 11,111 vines/ha and a second planting in 2018, farmed biodynamically from inception. This unique, south-east facing site has varied soils, graduating from top to bottom on the slope, through primarily shallow (10-15cm) glauconitic clays over well drained limestone.
Winemaking
Crushed and soaked for 4 hours prior to pressing. Wild ferment, in aged French oak barrels. 12 months on lees in barrel, then aged on light lees for 5 months in stainless steel prior to bottling unfined and unfiltered in September 2023.
Tasting Notes
Green lemon hue. A complex nose of minerals, flint, lemons, and limes. The palate is taut yet rich, with concentrated flavours reminiscent of lime and samphire. Fine, compact phenolics frame the wine and drive a long, mineral finish. This wine always reminds me of line and length—like train tracks stretching into the distance.
Lion's Tooth Chardonnay
Viticulture
Planted from 2000-2002 at 11,111 vines/ha and a second planting in 2018, farmed biodynamically from inception. Steeply inclined, east facing home block. Beautiful soils, with nut and crumb structure and great mineral fertility: 30% clay, 15% active lime.
Winemaking
Crushed and soaked for 2 hours prior to pressing. Wild ferment, in aged
French oak barrels. 12 months on lees in barrel, then aged on light lees for 5 months in stainless steel prior to bottling unfined and unfiltered in September 2023.
Tasting Notes
Pale lemon-straw hue. The nose is mineral and complex, offering mandarin, cashew, and crushed limestone. On the palate, it’s taut and focused, with unfolding layers of lemon curd, mandarin peel, and nutty flavours. The saline acidity enhances its length and drive. This block consistently brings an expansive mouthfeel, with broad texture followed by focused, saline tension.
Angel Flower Pinot Noir
Viticulture
Planted between 2000-2002 at 11,111 vines/ha and farmed biodynamically from inception. A beautiful, very steep, north-facing block. Coarse, shallow soils that enhance the aromatics; 15% clay, 5-10% active lime.
Winemaking
Carefully hand sorted, fully destemmed and fermented with wild yeasts using infusion methods for 21-27 days. Settled in tank before being transferred to French wooden barrels. Elevage of 18 months, then bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Tasting Notes
Light garnet hue. The nose is beautifully expressive, with rose petals and dried herbs leaping from the glass. Silky on the palate, it offers crushed red fruits with a velvet-like, mineral acidity. Fine tannins support this elegantly floral and savoury wine, delivering great length and subtle flavours that linger. An understated yet powerful expression.
Earth Smoke Pinot Noir
Viticulture
Planted between 2000-2002 at 11,111 vines/ha and farmed biodynamically from inception. An expansive, east-facing slope. Strong, beautifully structured soils; 30% clay, 15% active lime.
Winemaking
Carefully hand sorted, fully destemmed and fermented with yeasts from the vineyard, gently fermented using infusion methods for 21-27 days. Settled in tank before being transferred to French wooden barrels. Elevage of 18 months, then bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Tasting Notes
Vibrant garnet with exceptional clarity. Brooding dark fruits, spice, and floral aromas define the nose. The palate is dense and compact, centered on umami-rich raspberries and a savoury, resinous complexity. Surrounded by soft, fine tannins, the wine unfolds with a saline, palate-activating structure. A pure, vibrant, and expansive expression of Earth Smoke.
Snake's Tongue Pinot Noir
Viticulture
From the Snake’s Tongue parcel planted in 2007 at Mānatu Estate in Lowburn, Central Otago. Abel clone meticulously farmed to the highest standard in its third year of organic conversion producing stellar fruit. Soils are predominantly loess over deep silts that have developed pedogenic lime deposits.
Winemaking
33% whole bunch with the remainder gently de-stemmed to maintain a high percentage of whole berries. Fermented using wild yeasts in an open top concrete tulipe fermenter for 21 days. Aged in French barrels for 12 months, 30% new oak, then blended and aged for a further 6 months in oak prior to being bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Tasting Notes
Bright ruby hue. The nose is complex and alluring, with dark fruits, cherries, and cloves, evoking forest floor and wild thyme. On the palate, the wine has subdued power, with flavours of red fruits and game meats. The mouthfeel is plush and silky, with a juicy and evocative structure that expresses the uniqueness of this remarkable vineyard.