Spoke Rudimental Wilde Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023
£22.45
The wine
Layers of bright red fruit, wild thyme and chalky earthiness on the palate, with supple but assertive tannins and a textural finish. Rose petals, ripe cherry and cedar on the nose.
Rudimental comes from the Wilde Vineyard in Central Otago rather than Marlborough, which is why it tastes so different from the rest of the range. Central Otago is the southernmost wine region on earth and the only one in New Zealand with a continental climate, giving Pinot Noir depth of fruit alongside firm structure.
The producer
Spoke
View all Spoke winesThe Glover family have farmed at Dillon's Point in Marlborough for four generations, first as dairy farmers. In the 1980s Owen and Wendy Glover pioneered vine plantings in the sub-region, and the estate is now run by the next generation.
Dillon's Point sits at the eastern end of the Wairau valley where the river meets the sea, and the soils are heavy alluvial clay laid down by centuries of flooding rather than the free-draining gravels found further inland. Clay holds water and restrains vigour, and the maritime position keeps temperatures moderate, which together give a fuller, more textural style of Sauvignon Blanc than the classic Marlborough model.
The wine names follow a bicycle theme, from which the estate takes its own: Spoke, Amped, Brink, Rudimental. The wines are made in small quantities with more oak and lees work than Marlborough usually receives, and they reward the extra attention.
