A fine and complex single-vineyard Pinot Noir from one of North Canterbury's top producers.

Forager is the label of Dom Maxwell, who made his name as head winemaker at Greystone and was named New Zealand Winemaker of the Year in 2018. He started Forager in 2012 as a side project and has since left Greystone to focus on it. The 2023 is the eleventh release.

The grapes come from Isolated Hill, a 0.7 hectare vineyard planted in 2000 by Andy and Jill Black. It sits on a limestone hill in Waiau, well inland of Waipara, on the same old limestone as the nearby Amuri quarry. It’s a cool region that, with good winemaking, yields fantastic Burgundian-style Pinot.

Dom ferments outdoors in the vineyard with no temperature control. About a fifth of the fruit goes in as whole bunches, and the wine spends around a month on skins. It’s then aged for 15 months in French oak, only 15% new, and bottled unfined and unfiltered. 

A fantastic gift for a Pinot lover - cellar confidently or decant and enjoy now!