Black Estate Netherwood North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2019 $75 
Established back in 1986, this little vineyard patch is widely believed to be the first hillside planting in all ye olde North Canterbury. Planted on mudstone and Sandstone, hand-harvested and fermented with a yeast starter derived from the vineyard itself, these organic, biodynamically managed grapes are shepherded into the bottle by Nicholas Brown and they’re left on their skins for 21 days. This creates aromas of what I can only describe as a mixture of dried herbs and the baked-on earthy vegetation settling on the inside of the lawnmower deck (that’s the thing that houses the blades) and while that sounds weird, it’s actually a very complex and unusual example that should have your attention.
