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Wine Tasting Adventure

2024 Kim Crawford, Pinot Noir - Liberty

£20.99 GBP
£20.99 GBP

Kim Crawford Wines was established in late 1996 when Kim and Erica Crawford created two wines from fruit grown in Marlborough. The Crawfords sold the company to Constellation in 2005 and handed the reins to their experienced winemaking team, now led by Chief Winemaker Dave Edmonds. The current winemakers and viticulturists continue the classic Crawford philosophy and style. Control over grape supply has always been essential, and Constellation maintains good contracts with growers in the region, ensuring consistency of quality and style. From the 2022 vintage, the winery has moved to using lightweight bottles as one of several sustainability initiatives.

Kim Crawford is renowned for their Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, blended from over 200 separate parcels sourced from their extensive vineyard holdings, as well as growers throughout the Wairau, Awatere, Blind River, Waihopai and Omaka Valleys. The age range of the vines (up to 20 years old) brings a mix of youthful exuberance, fruit, and depth of flavour to the wine.

In selected vintages, Kim Crawford releases the ‘Spitfire’ Sauvignon Blanc. It is named ‘Spitfire’ to commemorate the World War II fighter aircraft base in nearby Blenheim, where they source fruit for this wine. Often hailing from a single vineyard, the small parcels selected for the blend are intensely flavoured. The Pinot Gris is sourced and blended from sites across the North and South Islands and offers a crisp, lively, aromatic option with a little more body and ripeness. The Pinot Noir is a blend of Marlborough and Central Otago sites, giving the winemaking team a great range of flavour profiles to work with and deliver Kim Crawford’s signature red berry and spice notes.

The grapes for this wine are sourced from some excellent cool-climate vineyards in the Marlborough and Central Otago regions of New Zealand's South Island. A wide variety of clones and rootstock were used, along with a mixture of soils and microclimates that provide a balance of flavour profiles and exceptional quality.

The 2024 vintage in Marlborough was especially successful, delivering solid yields under warm, dry conditions. An earlier-than-usual shift to cool autumn nights at the end of February enhanced flavour development and preserved freshness, resulting in fruit of outstanding quality for the region.

The grapes were machine-harvested and destemmed in the field before undergoing a three-day cold soak. Fermentation followed with an average of 12 days on skins, carefully monitored to optimise flavour and colour extraction. After pressing, part of the blend was matured in oak barrels for eight months, while the remainder underwent malolactic fermentation in tank with oak staves to add structure and complexity.

This wine is dark ruby in colour, with expressive notes of plum, strawberry, black cherry and spice. The palate is juicy with fine tannins and balanced oak.