2020 Escaroth Vineyard Marlborough Pinot Noir, Blank Canvas

• Style: Perfumed, medium-bodied, dry
• Taste: Red cherry, violet, peony, game, earthy spice
• Food: Roast dinners, poultry, cured meats, mushroom, pasta
• Occasion: Sunday lunch, date night
• Serve: 13% ABV, chill 45–50°F

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

A beguiling dance of peony and violet against bright red cherry and pomegranate, threaded through with game and earthy spice. The whole-bunch fermentation lifts the aromatics into something genuinely perfumed. At 13% ABV with crisp acidity, this sits in that perfect sweet spot where Pinot Noir from cool sites reveals its most refined side: medium-bodied, juicy, and alive on the palate without heaviness.

The Winery — Blank Canvas

Matt Thomson and Sophie Parker-Thomson are a husband-and-wife team wielding over four decades of combined international winemaking expertise. Matt has worked through more than 50 vintages across the world's finest regions; Sophie abandoned a law career in 2011 to partner with him in this art-meets-science venture. The Escaroth vineyard — a north-facing slope in Taylor Pass, one of Marlborough's driest sub-regions — sits on low-vigour clay soils without irrigation. Old vines planted in 2001 produce small berries with thick skins, exactly what aromatic New Zealand Pinot demands. The 2020 vintage saw careful yield management deliver concentration and intensity. Winemaking was unhurried: 50% whole bunches, indigenous yeast fermentation, nine months in French oak (25% new to preserve delicate fruit), then three months settling before bottling unfiltered. All vineyards are certified sustainable; growers live on their land.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

Drink this with roasted chicken, braised beef, aged goat cheese, or charcuterie — it's the kind of wine that makes everyday meals feel considered. The crisp acidity and medium body make it equally at home with mushroom and truffle dishes, pasta, risotto, or cured meats. Serve chilled at 45–50°F for a Sunday lunch gathering or intimate date night. Vegan and sustainably farmed, this is one of the finest Pinot expressions we've found.