2023 Burn Cottage Pinot Noir 750ml

Awards, Ratings & Reviews

97/100 — Robert Parker Wine Advocate · 2023 Vintage
Tasted: Jun 2025
When to drink: 2025 to 2043

About This Wine

During vineyard development the greatest care was taken to separate blocks according to soil, aspect and exposure differences. Clones and rootstocks were chosen with the philosophy that the more diversity each block had, the more complexity the resulting wines would display. Many different clones of Pinot Noir are planted on a variety of rootstocks. The first blocks were planted in 2003. The vineyard development has continued at a deliberate pace to ensure that only the best plant material has been used.

Each block within the respective vineyards is fermented separately in a combination of open-top wooden and stainless steel fermenters. The indigenous ferments are nurtured for 17–22 days and given a combination of gentle pump-overs and plunge-downs before being pressed off and transferred to French barrels.

The wine is aged for 11 months in barrel with 20–30% new French oak.

About the Producer

Burn Cottage Vineyard is wine producer located in Central Otago wine region of New Zealand's South Island. Established in 2002 by Marquis and Dianne Sauvage in 2002, it produces wine predominantly from the Pinot Noir grape variety.

The Burn Cottage Vineyard wine portfolio is predominantly Pinot Noir, complimented with small quantities of Riesling and Grüner-Veltliner wines in select vintages.

The Burn Cottage Pinot Noir is the flagship of the collection. It is also released as a library selection after aging in the cellar post-bottling.

The 24 hectare Burn Cottage estate sits in the foothills of the Pisa mountain range. Pinot Noir covers around 10 hectares of the land, mostly on slopes that face north and northeast. The small plots of Riesling and Grüner Veltliner are planted in a gully on east-facing slopes. The entire estate farmed biodynamically.

In the winery, Burn Cottage relies on natural yeasts for fermentation, and the use of sulfur is limited. A portion of whole bunches are often included to incorporate tannins into the fermenting wine. French oak barrels are sourced for barrel-aging with a portion of new oak selected for each wine.

Specifications

• Vintage: 2023
• Grape Variety: Pinot Noir
• Region: Central Otago / New Zealand
• Fermentation: Indigenous yeasts, 17–22 days in open-top wooden and stainless steel fermenters
• Maturation: 11 months in French oak barrels (20–30% new oak)
• Alcohol: 13.5%
• Sweetness: Dry
• Ownership: Marquis & Dianne Sauvage
• Drinking Window: 2025–2043