2021 Escaroth Vineyard Marlborough Pinot Noir, Blank Canvas

• Style: Perfumed, cherry-bright cool-climate Pinot Noir
• Taste: Peony, violet, red cherry, pomegranate with earthy spine
• Food: Roast chicken, beef, charcuterie, mushroom pasta
• Occasion: Sunday lunch, date night, roasted dinners
• Serve: 13% ABV, serve cool, no decanting needed

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

Peony and violet lift first—a hallmark of cool-climate fermentation—followed by bright red cherry and pomegranate cut through with an earthy, gently game-forward spine. Whole-bunch work gives lifted florals; silky tannins and refined acidity make this wine lithe without heaviness. The 2021 vintage packed extraordinary intensity into a smaller frame: spring frosts and light bunch weights meant concentration without excess, holding 13% alcohol with textural grip and aromatic clarity.

The Winery — Blank Canvas

Matt Thomson and Sophie Parker-Thomson, a Master of Wine, lead this art-meets-science project drawing on over four decades of global winemaking experience. Matt has shaped more than fifty vintages across numerous regions; Sophie left a law career to join him in 2011, bringing European insight to their pursuit of exceptional single-vineyard sites. All their vineyards are certified sustainable, and every grower lives on their land. The Escaroth Vineyard—a north-facing, unirrigated slope on low-vigour clay soils in Taylor Pass—sees the region's most extreme day-night temperature swings, ideal for holding acidity while building flavour. Winemaking remains tactile: partial destemming, indigenous yeast, hand-plucking through fermentation, and nearly a year in French oak (25% new) followed by natural settlement and no filtration.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

This is a wine for roasted chicken, beef pie, or charcuterie—occasions where you want to taste the fruit and structure without oak dominating. Mushroom risottos and cured meats also shine alongside its lifted aromatics and silky tannins. Serve cool and uncomplicated; the wine's refinement needs no ceremony. Sunday lunches and date nights alike benefit from its balance and terroir clarity. Explore the rest of our Marlborough selection to see how this region's cool-climate signature translates across different sites, or dive deeper into Pinot Noir from New Zealand and beyond.