About Emma

Emma Marris is a professionally trained winemaker and 3rd generation from the pioneering Marris family, who founded Wither Hills and now own Leefield Station and The Ned Wines. Emma graduated with First Class Honours from the University of Adelaide before returning to work as winemaker for the family, while also having travelled abroad doing vintages in Bordeaux and in Oregon. 

With fruit sourced entirely from Leefield Station, Emma set out to start her own label in 2022, first with Sauvignon Blanc, then Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Emma's own label allows her the creative freedom to trial new techniques and methods, work with small select parcels from specific sites and terroirs, and cut her own path with wines unique to the rest of the family. All of Emma's own wines have won numerous awards in both New Zealand and overseas.

Origin

Leefield Station Vineyard, Waihopai Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand.

Variety

100% Pinot Noir.

Vintage

Record rainfall in July, August and a warm start to September, permitted an energetic start to the growing season. This coincided with double the usual number of frosts which were replaced by warmer temperatures and humid northerly airflows in October. Early season varieties flowered rapidly while later season varietals were slightly challenged by a cool, wet start to December. Increasing temperatures and a warm, dry January ultimately ensured an abundance of fruit. Despite heavy February rains, good vineyard practice and increased sunshine hours through the tail end of February meant the vast majority of the resulting fruit was clean and ripe.Harvesting began in early March due to early season disease pressure with positive fruit flavours indicating physiological ripeness.

The team are excited about the structural diversity and bright complex flavours of the 2022 wines. 

Winemaking

Hand harvested from a selection of clones grown on our Leefield Station Vineyard. The fruit ripens late in the season on sun-drenched gently sloping foothills, where clays meet schist and gravels. Upon reaching the winery the fruit was destemmed into small fermenters without crushing, with a portion kept as whole bunches to provide structure and complexity. The grapes were cold-soaked for 5 to 7 days to develop density of colour, before the onset of a rapid, warm fermentation. The ferments were hand-plunged up to 4 times each day to keep the skins in intimate contact with the fermenting juice, then left to macerate for an additional 5 days post fermentation, ensuring optimum flavour development and tannin integration. The young wine was drained and pressed before being aged in 75% new French oak puncheons for 11 months, with malolactic fermentation occurring as the weather warmed. This wine was bottled unfiltered in March 2023.

Analysis

Alcohol 13.5%
pH 3.68
Titratable Acidity 5.52g/L
Residual Sugar 0.36g/L
Vegan Certified

Tasting Note

This inaugural Emma Marris Pinot Noir is elegant yet powerful with vibrant red berry and plum characters interspersed with savoury notes of black olive, ground clove, mocha, and the subtle nuance of graphite. The palate deftly balances a plush, fine grained tannin texture with an acid freshness that together promotes and sustains the inherent fruit vibrancy.

Food Matching

Best enjoyed with any flavoursome cut of Leefield Station Angus beef such as Al Brown’s chargrilled skirt steak with chimichurri and crispy potatoes.

Cellaring Potential

This Pinot Noir will drink well from release with a firm focus on the primary fruit-based elements but will continue to reveal more depth and complexity with time in the bottle through to late 2033.