Blank Canvas
Escaroth Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021 750ml

ACCOLADES

‘The very youthful 2021 vintage Was hand-harvested from 20-year-old, unirrigated vines on a north-facing clay slope at Taylor Pass, in the Southern Valleys, matured for 11 months in French oak barriques (35 per cent new), and bottled unfined and unfiltered.  From an ultra low-cropping harvest (3.3 tonnes/ha), it is deeply coloured, mouthfilling, sweet-fruited and savoury, with highly concentrated cherry, plum and spice flavours, and good tannin backbone.  A more 'masculine' style than its Anthem Vineyard stablemate of the same vintage, it should be very long-lived; best drinking 2027+.’

5 STARS | MICHAEL COOPER MA ONZM | JULY 2024

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‘Escaroth is located in the Taylor Pass subregion of Marlborough, with clay-rich soils. Vines are around 20 years old on a north-facing hillside, and they are dry grown, which is very rare in Marlborough. 115 and 777 clones. This is a distinctive Pinot Noir with floral cherry fruit on the nose as well as some mulchy green hints, dried herbs, and some pepper. In the mouth there’s lovely structure underneath the fresh, sappy cherry, plum and pomegranate fruit and also some silkiness. There’s an appealing intensity and texture, with grainy structure. The green notes integrate beautifully with the sweet cherry notes. This is complex and beguiling with potential for development.’

96 POINTS | JAMIE GOODE | JANUARY 2026

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Outstanding - ‘Immediately complex with a bouquet of depth and intrigue, softness and floral highlights, there’s personality and prettiness then scents of earth and dried clay minerality, red berry fruits and a fine dried herb quality. There is oak too with a seam of baking spices and savoury complexity framing the core aromas. Delicious on the palate with an abundance of fine needle-point tannins, plenty of acidity and a core of red berry fruit flavours - from mangosteen to plum to cherry. T, a light leather and tea quality with a fine savoury layer. Well made, youthful, delicious now and will be so through 2033+.’

96 POINTS | CAMERON DOUGLAS MS | JUNE 2024

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‘Seamless pinot noir with a subtle savoury edge and flavours that suggest red fruits/raspberry, vanilla, fresh herbs and spicy French oak. Nicely balanced wine with good cellaring potential and an impressively lengthy finish.’

95 POINTS | BOB CAMPBELL MW | AUGUST 2024

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‘Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of cherry and herbs. In the mouth, savory herbal notes wrap around cherry fruit, with a saline edge and hints of citrus leading into a raspberry-tinged finish. Complex, compelling, and resonant.’ 9-9.5 POINTS | ALDER YARROW | JANUARY 2026

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‘Concentrated and plush black fruits that mingle with notes of cola violet, smoke and dried leaves, an opulent pinot noir tempered by a bright freshness.’

BLANK CANVAS TOP 50 NZ WINERIES | DR. JO BURZYNSKA | NZ HERALD VIVA JUNE 2025

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‘Smells of cherries, berries and chopped herbs. Savoury and aromatic notes of herbs are wrapped in bright cherry fruit as saline, citrusy brightness washes across the palate. Notes of raspberry linger in the finish along with the savoury herbs and orange peel. Delicious.’

 17.5 POINTS | ALDER YARROW | JANCISROBINSON.COM | FEBRUARY 2025

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‘Mid smudgy garnet. Shows the whole-bunch component in a stemmy/sappy freshness (not at all green). There's a floral note but it's wild not domesticated, herbal not headily perfumed. On the palate, this is dry and savoury and avoids the sweetness that is so common in Marlborough Pinot Noir. Not quite starting to show tertiary flavours (eg leafy undergrowth) but there's a sense of the direction this will take. For now the non-sweet fruit is still captivating and controlling the long, fresh finish. Highlights how successful this vineyard is in low-yielding years (as in 2019). Excellent ageing potential, and a great example of the well-judged use of whole bunch. Has all the freshness and purity of the New Zealand climate as well as the complexity and ageing potential of sophisticated winemaking.’

17.5 POINTS | JULIA HARDING MW | JANCISROBINSON.COM | MARCH 2025

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‘The 2021 Pinot Noir Escaroth Vineyard is a fragrant, fruity and fine wine. Capturing juiciness alongside a crunchy freshness, it is finely balanced and elegant. While immediately appealing, this youthful wine shows essence and tension, suggesting this will have a graceful development over the coming 7-10 years and beyond.’

93 POINTS | REBECCA GIBB | VINOUS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2024

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‘Ripe strawberry aromas with fresh flowers, stems and a slightly ferrous undertone. Full-bodied and layered, with juicy fruit, velvety tannins and a crisp finish. Hints of smoke at the end. A generous and textured pinot. Drink now or hold. Screw cap.’

93 POINTS | JAMES SUCKLING | MARCH 2024

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‘The 2021 Escaroth Pinot Noir is supple and concentrated, and it is quite contrasted in style to the Settlement Vineyard Pinot Noir from the same vintage. Here the fruit is plush, ripe and almost rounded, with a scaffold of pliable/bendy tannin and gentle chew through the finish. This is all cherry, red apple, sugar-coated almonds, blood orange and bay leaf. 13% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.’

90 POINTS | ERIN LARKIN | WINE ADVOCATE | FEBRUARY 2025