48 bottles. This is the third release of Pyramid Valley’s Snake’s Tongue Pinot Noir from the Estate’s impressive Mānatu vineyard, located in the Lowburn sub-region of Central Otago. Planted in the mid-2000s by Jean and Roger Gibson, the former Lowburn Ferry property sits on a gentle, north-facing slope in the foothills of the Pisa Ranges. A key trait of the site is its soils: loess over deep silts with pedogenic lime deposits. With high pH and suitability for growing world-class Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, these soils proved the main drawcard for winemaker Huw Kinch, viticulturist Nick Paulin and owner Steve Smith, MW.

The 10.2-hectare property is home to a patchwork of Pinot Noir clones—Abel, 667, 777, 114, 115, 943, 828, and clone 5—playing into Kinch’s preference for clonal mix in the vineyard and the winery. The Snake’s Tongue block is a 1.9-hectare plot in the southeast corner of the vineyard, with this release drawn from a 0.7-hectare parcel of Abel clone planted in 2007. (The remaining 1.2 hectares comprises new high-density vines—clones 828, 943 and 115—planted in 2018 and 2019.)

In contrast to the Pinot fruit from the cooler Waikari property (Earth Smoke and Angel Flower), Mānatu’s Pinot Noir sees more sunshine and gives a wine of immediate pleasure. Focussed on textured and juicy five spice, plums and cherries, it has a core of power and intensity not found in the more restrained northern fruit. Kinch uses whole bunches (25%) and a measure of new oak in the Mānatu wines (30%) to harness this inherent power, techniques he tells us would overpower the Waikari wines. It is yet another example of his thoughtful, site-based approach.

“Pinot noir from the Lowburn subregion in Central Otago. 25% whole bunches in the mix in the '23 release and there's a lovely exotic lift and textural component on display in the wine as a result. Dark cherry and berry fruits with hints of crushed stone, mountain herbs, medina spice, raspberry pip, wildflowers and earth. There's a long, pure stretch of fruit on the palate, fine, powdered-schist tannins and a fine mineral cadence as the wine travels. Winemaker Huw Kinch says, 'the idea with the whole bunch was to tame the sunlight in the wine a little' ... nailed it. The balance is just right.” 96 points, Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion