Pinot Noir

Rack of lamb, served pink. Rare fillet steak and carpaccio.

Spring was somewhat changeable and cool. The Growing Degree Days October-November were very low but this was made up for by a record breaking month of December 2011. Very good soil moisture during this period was a blessing and helped the plants establish new growth very well. One low snowfall briefly in November caused some frosty conditions to contend with. January brought had good spells of hot, dry weather, with fantastic flowering and mid-season conditions. Rain in February was welcome for the soils, while March was slightly wetter and milder than usual, slowing ripening a little in the final weeks. Picking commenced in the last week of March and early April frosts did not impact our harvest.

At Burn Cottage we believe in minimal intervention winemaking. Our task is to discover the genius of the site and of the individual vineyard blocks within and to allow the wines to reveal it. We believe in minimizing sulfur usage and avoiding all additives whenever possible. We avoid the use of cultured yeasts, bacteria, associated nutrient products and filters. We avoid racking whenever possible and do wine work according to lunar and celestial rhythms.

The Burn Cottage Vineyard property was purchased in 2002. It had been grazed by sheep for as long as can currently be remembered. There were and are no immediate vineyard neighbours. The site was much coveted in the region as it is sheltered from both northerly and southerly winds by large hills and forms a beautiful protected bowl much like a modern amphitheatre. Husband and wife Marquis Sauvage and Dianne Sauvage were on a return trip from the Mornington Peninsula in Australia and had decided to visit several regions in New Zealand. For some time the family had contemplated starting their own winery. Dianne and Marquis were struck by the extraordinary beauty of Central Otago and became even more impressed after tasting through the region's wines particularly Felton Road and Gibbston Valley. They decided that they had found the place they were looking for. Marquis continued the property search with a real estate broker and came across the Burn Cottage site. As Marquis likes to say he had visited enough great vineyards around the world and this one had the right look. Unbeknownst to the Sauvages several prominent local wineries and winemakers were interested in the site and had had their eyes upon it for some time. The property became available in January of 2002 and the Sauvages were able to purchase it at auction. The Sauvages contacted Ted Lemon owner and winemaker of Littorai Wines in Sebastopol CA to seek his involvement in the project. The Sauvages were unaware at the time that Ted already had deep connections to New Zealand and particularly to Central Otago. Ted and Marquis travelled to New Zealand to see the property and Ted was sold on the idea upon the spot.