Catalina Sounds Sound of White Pinot Noir 2020 - Marlborough, New Zealand

93/100 Campbell Mattinson, The Real Review
92/100 Angus Hughson, Wine Pilot
Bronze - QWine
Bronze - New Zealand Wine Rater
90/100 Campbell Mattinson, The Real Review (2017 vintage)

Bronze - International Wine & Spirit Competition
Silver - Decanter World Wine Awards (2017 vintage)

Campbell Mattinson, The Real Review "Most of the grapes are from a 16-year-old hillside vineyard, with a small amount from five year-old vines on the flat. Quite a dense, rich and fleshy red with floral, violet, dark cherry and plum supported by gentle tannins. "

Angus Hughson, Wine Pilot "This Single Vineyard Pinot Noir is a good illustration of why Marlborough is a hugely underrated region for pinot. It’s got everything fans of this variety are searching for – perfumed aromas and sweet red fruits with a dark, earthy underbelly. Mid to deep cherry in colour, fruits are fleshy and generous. Cherry compote, damp earth and spice with toasty oak in play. The palate is then juicy and savoury – meaty, ground spice flavours over a bed of dark cherry fruits. It’s on the oaky side for pinot noir so best matched up with flavoursome dishes such as coq au vin."

QWine "Dark cherry, blackcurrants, mushrooms, even a hint of truffle get things on the move. A drying Pinot but there's a lighter side to it. Easy drinking, you'd kick back with this riverside watching the worries of the world float by. "

New Zealand Wine Rater "A very youthful, primary, un-evolved wine right no w, that's deep purple in hue, and somewhat subdued on the nose. As it opens with air time there's lots of chary oak, and blueberry fruit with a hint of cinnamon, and mace. Perhaps more Syrah-like than Pinot right now. Closed, primary with acid, and tannin dominating on the palate. Difficult to evaluate right now and begging for more time."

Campbell Mattinson, The Real Review "Well made, classical Marlborough pinot noir with typical red fruits, dried herb and subtle earthy-savoury flavours. A medium-bodied red, with a core of sweet fruit balanced against fine, drying tannins." (2017 vintage)

Decanter World Wine Awards "Juicy, open, floral, lifted and aromatic with great purity and hints of cherries, pencil shavings and oak-derived spice. Well-made with a persistent finish." (2017 vintage)

Marlborough based award-winning winery, Catalina Sounds is known for wines which harness the purity and vibrancy of Marlborough’s climate and landscape. The name Catalina Sounds evolved from the majestic Catalina flying boats that played a vital role across the South Pacific during and after World War II.

Marlborough is by far New Zealand's most important wine region. Situated at the north-eastern tip of the South Island, this dry, sunny region produces around three-quarters of all New Zealand wine. It is particularly famous for its pungent, zesty Sauvignon Blanc - widely considered by critics to be the best Sauvignon currently produced anywhere on the planet. Commercial-scale viticulture began in Marlborough the 1970s – it conquered the world within 25 years!

Pinot Noir is the dominant red wine grape of Burgundy, now produced in wine regions all over the world, including western Germany, northern Italy, Chile, South Africa, Australia and, perhaps most notably, California, Oregon and New Zealand.

The essence of Pinot Noir wine is its aroma of strawberry and cherry (fresh red cherries in lighter wines and stewed black cherries in weightier examples), underpinned in the most complex examples by hints of forest floor. Well-built Pinot Noirs, particularly from warmer harvests, also exhibit notes of leather and violets, sometimes approaching the flavor spectrum of Syrah.