Pyramid Valley Snake's Tongue Pinot Noir 2023

Pyramid Valley Snake's Tongue Pinot Noir is a single-parcel Pinot from Abel clone vines in Central Otago's Lowburn.

Abel clone planted in 2007, on 0.7 hectares inside a 1.9-hectare block at the southeast edge of the Lowburn vineyard, is the whole source. Huw Kinch keeps a wide clonal spread across the property, with Abel and clone 5 alongside 667, 777, 114, 115, 943 and 828, but this parcel is bottled alone because it tastes like itself. On loess over deep silts with pedogenic lime, it catches considerably more sunshine than the Waikari slopes, and that extra power is met with 25 per cent whole bunches and 30 per cent new oak, a treatment Kinch says would flatten the cooler Canterbury fruit.

Juicy and textured, with five-spice, spiced plum and dark cherry, and enough tannin to hold the shape. Immediate pleasure, though it will keep. Serve at 16 degrees. Duck, lamb backstrap, or roast mushrooms with soy and butter.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.