In Marlborough, Pinot Noir was for many years a secondary consideration to Sauvignon Blanc. The first plantings of the variety in Marlborough took place as far back as 1973, though for the next 20-plus years most of the Pinot Noir fruit grown in the region was used to make sparkling wine.
Serious growth began after 2000. Over the first decade of the new millennium, Pinot Noir plantings expanded four-fold to cover 2000ha while the sparkling wine share as a percentage receded. Today the total area of Pinot Noir in Marlborough covers 2,669ha, the most of any region.
Marlborough is well-endowed from a grape growing perspective. The Richmond Ranges to the north keep out the rain carried by the prevailing nor’westerly winds. The Wither Hills to the south offer protection from the cold southerlies. While the summer temperatures are warm, they are not overly so and there is pronounced diurnal variation. The result is a long, unrushed growing season, perfect for Pinot Noir.
Much of the region’s Pinot Noir is planted on the low-vigour clay soils on the southern side of the Wairau Valley, which imbues the wines with colour and fleshiness. The Pinots grown in the neighbouring Awatere Valley, which is cooler and drier and where the soils are prominently stony alluvial, lean towards lighter, more vibrant styles.
There will always be Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. But a potent Pinot culture has established itself in the region and is now also a confident force on the national scene.