Please note that this product is available for pre-order and will be delivered by the end of the week commencing 31st August.
BOB / Short for Kate Pinot Noir is a beautifully expressive Marlborough Pinot with a story every bit as memorable as the wine itself. Made by Ben Glover from a single organic vineyard in the Omaka Valley, it combines bright cherry, raspberry and wild strawberry with bramble, dried herbs and a subtle earthy, forest-floor character. The palate is supple and elegant rather than powerful, with fine tannins, fresh acidity and a gentle savoury edge of green olive and spice. A small proportion of whole bunches lifts the aromatics, while nine months in French oak adds polish and complexity without overwhelming the fruit. At five years old, the wine is moving into a particularly attractive stage, where youthful red berries are beginning to mingle with more developed earthy and savoury notes. It is unmistakably New Zealand Pinot Noir, but with restraint, personality and a genuine sense of purpose behind it.
BOB / Short for Kate Pinot Noir, Producer
BOB / Short for Kate is part of Ben Glover’s family wine project in Marlborough. Ben is one of New Zealand’s most experienced winemakers, with more than 25 years in the industry as well as extensive experience as an international wine judge. His career has included involvement with Wine Marlborough, chairing the Bragato Wine Show and serving as chair of Pinot Noir 2017 New Zealand.
The wine itself, however, has a much more personal origin. BOB / Short for Kate was created as a tribute to Ben’s younger sister Kate Glover, who died in 2018. Kate’s family nickname was “Bob”, a reference to Blackadder, of which she was a fan. Ben has said that the wines were intended to capture qualities he associated with his sister: honesty, purity and confidence.
Both the Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc are produced in small quantities from carefully selected organic Marlborough fruit, with Ben favouring minimal intervention in the cellar and allowing vineyard character to remain at the centre of the wines.
BOB / Short for Kate Pinot Noir, Terroir & Winemaking
The Pinot Noir comes from the Settlement Vineyard in Marlborough’s Omaka Valley, part of the cooler Southern Valleys. The vineyard occupies a north-facing hillside approximately four kilometres into the valley, with shallow wind-blown loess topsoil over clay loams. It was planted in 2009 and achieved full organic certification in 2016. These clay-rich Southern Valleys soils are particularly well suited to Pinot Noir, tending to produce wines with greater depth, spice and structure than those from the lighter alluvial soils of the central Wairau Valley.
The fruit was hand-picked before fermentation in small open-top vessels. Around 20% of the grapes were retained as whole bunches, helping lift the perfume and preserve freshness. Extraction was deliberately gentle, with very little pigeage – generally just once or twice a day to keep the cap moist – followed by approximately 21 days on the skins.
The wine was then basket pressed directly into French oak barriques, around 15% of which were new. It spent nine months in barrel over winter and underwent spontaneous malolactic fermentation before being blended. The relatively modest percentage of new oak means the barrels contribute texture and gentle spice rather than dominating Pinot Noir’s delicate fruit.
BOB / Short for Kate Pinot Noir 2020, Tasting Notes
Bright, translucent cherry red in the glass. The nose is beautifully perfumed, opening with wild strawberry, raspberry and red cherry alongside bramble and delicate floral notes. With time in the glass, more savoury aromas of thyme, forest floor, subtle spice and dried herbs begin to emerge.
The palate is medium-bodied and wonderfully supple. Ripe cherry, raspberry and darker berry fruit are carried by bright acidity, while finely textured tannins provide gentle structure. There is a subtle savoury streak of green olive and herbs beneath the fruit, together with restrained oak spice.
At this stage of its development, the wine is particularly attractive because the youthful fruit is beginning to integrate with more complex earthy and savoury flavours. The finish is long and composed, with cherry, bramble, spice and subtle woodland notes lingering behind.
BOB / Short for Kate Pinot Noir, Food pairing suggestion: Pan-Seared Scallops with Cauliflower Purée, Brown Butter and Hazelnuts
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