The Growth of Marlborough Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir, once described as being like a prickly house guest that you have to go out of your way to please, is Marlborough’s second most planted grape variety.

With 2,722 hectares it is a long way behind the region’s flagship wine, Sauvignon Blanc, which has a total of 22,777 hectares. But great things come in small packages, as the saying goes and Marlborough Pinot Noir is making a name for itself internationally, producing wines that rival many famous world producers.

There are many reasons for that. Latitude wise, Marlborough is the southern hemisphere’s equivalent of central France. In terms of Heat Degree Days (HDD) and rainfall, it is almost identical to Burgundy, the spiritual home of Pinot Noir. So not surprisingly, Marlborough has all the elements, when combined with climate and soils to take the world on with this variety.

It hasn’t always been the case. When the very first Pinot vines were planted by Montana back in 1975, they were planted on the Wairau Plains. Despite the first vintage in 1979 winning national awards, it would be a long time before the rest of the world opened their eyes to the quality that Marlborough could produce.

That’s mainly because the understanding of just what Pinot Noir vines needed to excel wasn’t well known by growers in the region at the time. Pinot Noir loves to have dry feet, warm rather than hot temperatures and soils that have some form of clay in them. They also require hands on attention throughout the growing year, which many of the earlier vines didn’t receive.

As the Marlborough region has grown and the understanding of what different varieties require, what different clonal material and sites can add to the ensuing wines, the quality of Pinot in Marlborough has advanced dramatically.

Master of Wine Sophie Parker-Thomson says the change began in the late 1990s and early 2000s when growers started looking to the Southern Valleys as the new home for Pinot Noir.

On these hillsides, the soils are very old clay as opposed to the alluvial Wairau Valley. They tend to be protected from the easterly winds, which helps ensure a warmer micro climate.

“That all adds up to thicker skins and smaller berries, which then equals the more structured, tannic Pinots we are seeing now.”

The same goes for parts of the Awatere Valley, where Sophie says there are some stunning Pinots emerging.

Discovering and embracing the newer and better sites has been combined with better clones she says. Just as Marlborough sits on the exact opposite latitude as central France, Marlborough growers are now utilising what are known as the Dijon clones – those that have been developed in Burgundy. That and with some vine age the wines being produced in Marlborough have increased in quality exponentially.

“We do punch above our weight,” says Sophie, “and there are some stunning Pinots coming out of the region.”

Facts and figures

• The first Pinot Noir vines were planted in Marlborough in 1975 by Montana

• The first vintage of Marlborough Pinot Noir was released in 1979

• By 1980 25 hectares of Pinot Noir was planted in Marlborough – all of it on the Wairau Plains

• In 2021 there are 2,722 hectares of Pinot Noir

• Marlborough is the largest Pinot Noir producer in the country – but that has to be countered with the fact a lot of Pinot grown is for sparkling wines.

• Marlborough has more than 160 wineries and very few would not produce at least one Pinot Noir.