WINE ADVOCATE 95 POINTS - "The 2022 Burn Cottage Vineyard Pinot Noir is light and fine, with a delicate array of cherry, strawberry, red apple and freshly pressed linen notes. Woven throughout is sweet tobacco, graphite, white tea and finely ground pink peppercorns. In the mouth, the acidity works with the tannins to penetrate the palate with flavor, and it has an ethereal quality to it, which marks it as distinctly different from the Sauvage Pinot Noir. This is an eminently pretty Pinot Noir and comes highly recommended. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under natural cork."
WINE SPECTATOR 95 POINTS - "A stunning red, offering an aromatic and expressive mix of blueberry, raspberry and maraschino cherry, along with notes of dried rose petal, sandalwood and toasted cumin seed, plus a touch of fresh mint. Plush and velvety, with details of black walnut liqueur, white pepper and palo santo that linger on the long, expressive finish. Drink now through 2039. 2,500 cases made, 400 cases imported."
Marquis Sauvage sought out Ted Lemon, owner and winemaker of Littorai in Sebastopol, CA, to plant their new vineyard. Ted proposed that Burn Cottage would be Biodynamically farmed from inception, and that is the path that has been followed with great commitment and enthusiasm. From there, a great partnership was formed, thanks to the potential of the land as well as Ted's deep connections to New Zealand, and particularly, to Central Otago. Ted is head winemaker and vineyard manager, and as Marquis calls him, "the guiding hand on the tiller at Burn Cottage." Similarly to Ted's property at Littorai, Burn Cottage is a fully functional farm, with 10 hectares under vine and the rest of the land devoted to cattle, chickens, beehives, olive groves, and other native species of New Zealand plants, bushes, and trees. They also produce their own compost and grow many of the preparations needed for Biodynamic farming. At Burn Cottage, they believe that biodiversity is the cornerstone of healthy farming.
This is the flagship wine from Burn Cottage: the 100% estate vineyard Pinot Noir. The label is a derivative of a 1795 fairy tale called “The Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily” which represents the ideal intersection of people and the land reflected in Biodynamics. This Pinot Noir was harvested from ten different clones on seven different blocks of the vineyard. 1,076 cases produced.