2020 The Last Chance Pinot Noir, Earnsleugh Vineyard, Two Paddocks, Central Otago

The Last Chance is a dramatically located, 2 hectare terraced vineyard perched in bright, clear air above the Earnscleugh Valley. It is one of the world’s most southerly vineyards and takes its name from the watercourse that runs through its heart, hand dug by gold miners in the 1860s.

The 2020 growing season started dry and cold, with severe wind and snow events. The critical flowering month of December was still relatively cool and experienced 50mm of rain over three days. As a result, flowering was both late and drawn out. Finally, the summer heat arrived in mid-January and lasted until mid-March but crop levels were 30-40% down in many of the vineyard blocks, thanks to the challenging conditions during flowering. There was some good news, however – the smaller bunches and small berries were much easier for the vines to fully ripen in late summer and ultimately resulted in densely coloured, aromatic wines. The Last Chance was harvested on the 8th of April.

Mid ruby-garnet colour, the nose is fragrant and fresh, with perfumed notes of red berries, garrigue and spicy orange zest. Palate is medium bodied, having a juicy middle and fresh structure. This rendition of Last Chance is built on elegance and restraint this year, having poise rather than power (for drinking 2024-2026).