Pyramid Valley

“World-Class” Wines of Place and Personality
Pyramid Valley

Whoever says beauty is only skin deep has never visited Pyramid Valley. Sure, you see the beauty on the surface among the visually stunning vineyards’ rocky crags, densely planted vines and carpets of wildflowers. But what lies beneath makes this place unique in the New Zealand setting. Pyramid Valley is one of few New Zealand vineyards planted on limestone, making it a remote dreamland for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. When you throw in a genuinely marginal climate and progressive vineyard management (as well as ultra-precise winemaking), the results are unlike any other. Today, we are thrilled to present Pyramid Valley’s limited, iconic single vineyard Botanical wines.

 

Winemaker Huw Kinch and his team have not put a foot wrong since taking the reigns of this exceptional estate. Joining the team in 2018, Kinch (who lives on-site with his family) has spent much of his energy expanding the original blocks, which now extend to 6.8 hectares. Following Mike Weersing’s original vineyard map—which Mike never got to complete—the new plantings are all on Pyramid Valley’s mid-slope. As Mike Bennie’s quote above alludes, Huw’s ongoing knowledge of the site has come home to roost in 2022. In the same article, Mike also wrote, “Huw Kinch is writing the second chapter and best possible one for Pyramid Valley.” The 2022 season brought its share of challenges, but overall, the cool, even conditions gave “wines of poise, elegance and vibrancy”, says Kinch.

 

The spectre of Burgundy’s ‘somewhereness’ may be writ large over the foundation and present-day ethos of Pyramid Valley, yet one should not expect a Botanical tribute act: each wine has its own distinctive style and energy. This is precisely as it should be with terroir-driven wines. In Huw Kinch’s words, “I don’t think you can make wines like these from any other site in the world. They are so unique. Whether you like them or not comes down to personal taste. That’s what makes great wine so captivating—it cannot be replicated.”

 

On the other hand, in their aromatic complexity, vivid texture, mineral stuffing and chiselled length they are perhaps the most Burgundian-feeling wines we have tasted from south of the equator. The Chardonnays are dramatically pure, while the Pinots possess magnificent structure and generosity even as they are filigreed and aromatically uplifting. Cult Chilean soil expert Pedro Parra once evocatively said that “limestone is the best party in the wine world.” If so, welcome to the best party in town.

 

 

The Wines

Pyramid Valley Lion's Tooth Chardonnay 2022
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Pyramid Valley Lion's Tooth Chardonnay 2022

Biodynamic. This site takes its name from the vineyard’s abundance of dandelions (dent-de-lion—‘lion’s tooth’—in French). The original 0.4 hectares of vines were planted in 2000 at a density of 11,111 vines per hectare, with a further 2.8 hectares planted between 2018 and 2020, though the majority of the fruit for this wine (89%) comes from the 2000 plantings. The biodynamically farmed Lion’s Tooth is a steeply inclined, east-facing site on soils described as having a “nut and crumb structure and great mineral fertility”. It’s the classic limestone and clay of the area but with a higher balance of clay (30%) than Field of Fire. 

The winemaking mirrors that of Field of Fire, yet the differences in the signature of place are apparent. The compelling 2022 Lion’s Tooth shows how a slight change in aspect and soil impacts the finished wine in these edgy, cool-climate vineyards. Combined with lengthy hang-time facilitated by the cool La Niña growing season, soil and site distinction pave the way for a powerfully built Lion’s Tooth of drive, tension and dense but nuanced flavour. The notes below capture the wine’s alluring charm, perfect pace and profound complexity. 

The fruit came off the vine on 28th April and soaked on skins for two hours after crushing before being pressed to old French barrels for natural fermentation. Maturation occurred in barrel on light lees for 12 months, followed by five months in tank before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. 

“Soft and supple, flows beautifully, an intensity of fruit, the DNA of the wine bound by nutty savouriness, shortbread, ginger, crushed granitic mineral characters, and around that green apple, lime, preserved lemon, mixed floral elements. It feels relaxed in texture, a great deal of space and dimension to the wine, but freshness is inherent. A gentle sour-sweetness and hay-straw character in there too. Pleasure and intellect buttons pressed.”
94 points, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
“Chardonnay, biodynamically farmed since planting in 2000, from an east-facing 0.4ha slice of the Pyramid Valley Waikari estate. Light straw with aromas of nectarine and grapefruit with hints of soft spice, oyster shell, lemon curd, white flowers, clover blossom, crushed flint, grilled cashews and Graham crackers. Taut, febrile and filigreed with a sapid, saline burst of acidity that perfectly balances the richness of the stone fruits as the wine trails away.”
95 points, Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion
“The 2022 Chardonnay from the high-density Lion's Tooth parcel is an arresting wine that sucks you in but doesn’t spit you out. It’s not a wine you'll want to spit out either. This 2022 draws you in with its harmony, expansive nature, silken texture and sense of tranquility. It is subtle in its flavors - this is Chardonnay, after all – with flinty characters giving way to toasted nuts and oatmeal, lemon curd and nectarine. This is not a fruity but savory, restrained style that focused on texture over aromatics. Meditation for the mouth.”
96 points, Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous
“Medium depth yellow colour with a rich buttery/honeyed and peachy bouquet with a subtle touch of struck-flint, the palate rounder, fuller and softer than the Field of Fire, with beautifully harmonious acidity and a long finish.”
96 points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Pyramid Valley Lion's Tooth Chardonnay 2022
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Pyramid Valley Field of Fire Chardonnay 2022
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Pyramid Valley Field of Fire Chardonnay 2022

Biodynamic. Field of Fire takes its name from the type of grass that grows among the vines in this gently sloped, southeast-facing, clay-limestone plot nestled in the northeast corner of the property, sheltered by a belt of trees and a range of hills behind it. The original 0.3 hectares were planted in 2000 at a density of 11,111 vines per hectare. Plantings were expanded by a further 1.2 hectares between 2018 and 2020, though only the original 2000 plantings and 0.3 hectares from 2018 go into this wine. Field of Fire has a cooler, rockier profile than Lion’s Tooth, and though soils vary throughout the plot, there is a prevalence of shallow (10-15cm) glauconitic clays over the well-drained limestone bedrock. In comparison, Field of Fire typically shows a tighter mineral core and athletic structure cloaked by layered, complex flavour. 

The fruit was picked on 29th April, a day after Lion’s Tooth, and soaked on skins for four hours after crushing before being pressed to old French barrels for natural fermentation. Maturation occurred in barrel on light lees for 12 months, followed by five months in tank before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. We won’t add much to the reviews below―Bennie and Brookes have nailed it―only to assert that this is elite Chardonnay, worthy of consideration among the best the New and Old World have to offer. Scintillatingly pure with immaculate texture and length for days. 

"Expansive, succulent white of depth and concentration with pretty lift and complexity from jasmine florals, warm straw, hazelnut and button mushroom savouriness amongst the mandarin, ginger, lime, green apple going on. The supple flow stretches luxuriously through the palate and finishes with a light, building chalky pucker. It’s such a chilled out white, but so much is going on. And gosh it drinks beautifully."
96 points, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
“From a scant 0.3ha southeast-facing high-density planting of chardonnay on limestone/clay soils of the home estate. Wonderfully detailed white peach and citrus fruit with wisps of struck flint, soft spice, clotted cream, oyster shell, toasted hazelnuts, white flowers and crushed stone. Plenty of depth and flow on the palate but there's a real sense of sapidity and mouth-watering mineral drive, finishing chalky and uber pure.”
96 points, Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion
“Light-mid yellow colour; complex bouquet with smoky struck-flint overlying beeswax, buttery croissant and stone fruits. The wine is refined and subtle, intense and light on ts feet and yet has a core of richness enlivened by refreshing acidity that helps draw the finish out to great length. An outstanding, high-energy chardonnay of great finesse.”
97 points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Pyramid Valley Field of Fire Chardonnay 2022
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Pyramid Valley Earth Smoke Pinot Noir 2022
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Pyramid Valley Earth Smoke Pinot Noir 2022

Biodynamic. Like the Chardonnay vineyards, Pyramid Valley’s Waikari Pinot Noir sites were planted in 2000 at 11,111 vines per hectare on slopes with clay/limestone soils. Earth Smoke is an expansive slope that faces east and is situated southwest of Lion’s Tooth and north of its sibling Pinot Noir site, Angel Flower. The soils are richer than Angel Flower, described by Steve Smith as “strong and beautifully structured”―there’s a high proportion of clay (30%) over the limestone bedrock. The name comes from the nickname given to fumitory, a plant of the poppy family that thrives in this 0.85-hectare plot. Although both wines share DNA, the later-picked Earth Smoke is typically the more structured and darker of the two, with more fruit weight and savoury undertones to go with its tender, fine tannins. 

The fruit was picked and sorted by hand, then destemmed and fermented gently using infusion rather than extraction techniques. After 21 to 27 days on skins, the wine matured in French oak for 18 months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. 

The combination of sunlight, high UV, moderate temperatures, and decent humidity is nirvana for temperate plants. Pyramid’s vines respond by harnessing all this energy to ripen grapes that are full of the delicate aromas, beautiful flavours and refined phenolics that are the benchmark for fine, cool-climate Pinot Noir (and often lost in warmer, more stressful climates). The 2022 Earth Smoke is resplendent with this energy and the unique stamp of its part of the Waikari vineyard. It’s a wine that screams of place, composed and pure, with elegant texture and expansive presence―just superb. 

“A crispness, a pulse of tart cherry, a crunch of cranberry, some nougat licks and woody spice with sappy pomegranate juice, a touch of hazelnut paste with bergamot tea, sage leaf and dried rosemary amongst the mix of characters here. It’s got volume of intense, granitic minerality and a grumbling swish of pumice-like, almost Italianate texture to tannins amongst the vibrancy of fruit character.”
95 points, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
“Sourced from a 0.8ha block of biodynamically farmed pinot noir on the Pyramid Valley Waikari estate. A beautiful, complex-smelling wine with brooding dark plum and cherry fruits, cut with spice, blood orange, amaro herbs, raked leaves, pressed wildflowers, twiggy nuance and crushed stone. So calm and composed on the palate with a sapid calcareous cadence, fine, chalky tannin grip and a long, gamey retreat.”
96 points, Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion
“Having made no Earth Smoke in 2021 due to spring frosts and cool flowering ravaging the yield, it's a welcome return in 2022. Translucent, pure and delicately textured, this Pinot Noir shows a fine hand and the confidence to be hands off. The wine is calm; in the mouth, it gives the impression that a hush has descended. It is attractively scented - full of dried herbs, cherry, festive spice, violets and a hint of smoke. There's plentiful concentration without weight. The tannins are pliant, providing the finest coating for your palate.”
95 points, Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous
“Medium depth of red with a tint of purple and aromas of smoked charcuterie, savoury dried herb and sappy cherry aromas—darker fruit aromas than the Angel Flower, and with a touch of smoky reduction. The wine has richness and depth of flavour, finished with abundant savoury, dusty/earthy tannins. Elegant and complex pinot noir.”
94 points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Pyramid Valley Earth Smoke Pinot Noir 2022
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Pyramid Valley Angel Flower Pinot Noir 2022
Pyramid Valley Angel Flower Pinot Noir 2022
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Pyramid Valley Angel Flower Pinot Noir 2022

Biodynamic. Angel Flower is the prettiest of many synonyms for yarrow, a grassland and pasture plant with delicate, fennel-like leaves and a brilliant mass of white flowers. Yarrow is the basis of the biodynamic preparation 502 and is strongly associated with mobilising natural sulphur and potassium in the soil. 

Planted in 2000 at 11,111 vines per hectare, the 0.7-hectare Angel Flower plot is the cooler, more exposed Pinot block on the Pyramid Valley property. It’s a stunning, steeply sloped, north-facing block located at the southern tip of the estate. The soils are shallow and coarse with less clay (15%) than Earth Smoke, which Huw Kinch says enhances the wine’s aromatic profile. By comparison, you can expect similar weight and shape to Earth Smoke, with heightened floral aromatics and a silky slip through the palate. 

The winemaking mirrors Earth Smoke, so the difference derives purely from site and soil. The fruit was picked and sorted by hand, then destemmed and fermented gently using infusion rather than extraction techniques. After 21 to 27 days on skins, the wine matured in French oak for 18 months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. It’s a dazzlingly good Pinot: generous, full and complex with lovely balance between savoury elements, pure fruit and mineral tension. Sheer class. 

“It feels open weave and pretty with rose hip tea, alpine herbal elements, faint game meat, undergrowth and toasty spice strewn around the place. It slips into every corner of the palate, an attractive, sour-sweet flow of tart cherry dressed up with those savoury elements all sheathed in a web of ultra fine, silty, lacy tannin. It finishes with black tea and truffle and a building, drying, refreshing pucker. Fine, elegant, vibrant and energetic. A triumph for the variety.”
96 points, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
“From a 0.7ha limestone/clay, north-facing, biodynamically farmed slice of the Pyramid Valley estate in Waikari. A beautifully perfumed, ethereal wine that shows delicate redcurrant, red cherry and raspberry fruits with hints of crushed stone, red flowers, blood orange, clover blossom, sous bois and red apple pastries. There is a lot of light in this wine, all detail and shimmering clarity with a spacious mouthfeel, sapidity to burn and the most graceful of exits. Beautiful drinking.”
96 points, Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion
“Quite a pale colour, tinged with purple, the bouquet is complex, foresty/undergrowth scented, complex in an earthy way, while the palate is quite delicate: light-bodied and savoury, with light but drying tannins and medium intensity. A lovely wine in a lighter style.”
92 points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Pyramid Valley Angel Flower Pinot Noir 2022
Pyramid Valley Angel Flower Pinot Noir 2022
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Pyramid Valley Snake's Tongue Pinot Noir 2022
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Pyramid Valley Snake's Tongue Pinot Noir 2022

This is the second release of Pyramid Valley’s Snake’s Tongue Pinot Noir from the estate’s impressive Mānatu vineyard, located in the Lowburn sub-region of Central Otago. Planted in the mid-2000s by Jean and Roger Gibson, the former Lowburn Ferry property sits on a gentle, north-facing slope in the foothills of the Pisa Ranges. A key trait of the site is its soils: loess over deep silts that have developed pedogenic lime deposits. With high pH and suitability for growing world-class Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, these soils proved the main drawcard for winemaker Huw Kinch, viticulturist Nick Paulin and owner Steve Smith MW. 

The 10.2-hectare property is home to a patchwork of Pinot Noir clones—Abel, 667, 777, 114, 115, 943, 828, 115 and clone 5—playing into Kinch’s preference for clonal mix in the vineyard and the winery. The Snake’s Tongue block is a 1.9-hectare plot in the southeast corner of the vineyard, with this release drawn from a 0.7-hectare parcel of Abel clone planted in 2007. (The remaining 1.2 hectares comprises new high-density vines—clones 828, 943 and 115—planted in 2018/2019.)

In contrast to the Pinot fruit from the cooler Waikari property (Earth Smoke and Angel Flower), Mānatu’s Pinot Noir sees more sunshine. It has a core of power and intensity not found in the more delicate and restrained northern fruit. Kinch uses whole bunches and new oak in the Mānatu wines to harness this inherent power, techniques he tells us would overpower the Waikari wines—yet another example of his thoughtful, site-based approach. 

Fermented in an open-top concrete tulip, with 33% whole bunches and as much whole berry as possible, the wine matured in 30% new French barrels for 12 months, followed by a further six months in neutral oak before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. We needn’t add anything to the Bennie and Brookes notes below, but it’s hard to resist piling on the praise for this seductive, deeply cast, full-throttle Pinot Noir. There’s plenty to love now, but the bold flavour and structure will stand this in good stead for years to come, should you have the patience. A wine of pure, hedonistic pleasure. 

“It’s a fleshy, deeply flavoured pinot noir with an elegant bent under its more muscular frame. Dark choc-raspberry, liquorice, cranberry, aniseed, some garam masala spice elements, a bit of warm game meat and some rosy, rose hip tea elements. The wine quite grippy and drying in tannin, a little new leather-meets-river-pebble feel here. Bold and savoury hand-in-hand, though the dryer frame may challenge some for expectations.”
93 points, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
“Lowburn Terrace pinot noir from the Mānatu vineyard. Mid-crimson with red plum and dark cherry fruits cut with spice, citrus blossom, dried orange peel, amaro herbs, pressed wildflowers and crushed rocks. Sleek, savoury and red-fruited on the palate with layers of fine spice and some distant game and amaro tones; tannins super-fine and chalky and a bright, minerally cadence.”
94 points, Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion
“Medium-deep colour with a good tint of purple and a rich spice and dried-herb bouquet of considerable detail, leading into a rich palate with impressive depth and intensity, the fruit concentration matched by ample tannins that dry the finish and enhance length and structure. Serious pinot noir.”
96 points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Pyramid Valley Snake's Tongue Pinot Noir 2022
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“This is the best suite of wines from the new custodianship of PV. The wines feel more ‘Huw Kinch’ alongside the distinct personality of the site(s); the wines more relaxed, expressive, and though that’s partly the season, the savoury and cooler, finer boned and loose knit jazz of the wines is really good and really appealing from 2022.” Mike Bennie, The Wine Front

“These are special wines for me... The wines are world class.” Dave Brookes, The Wine Companion

“These artisanal but lauded wines have become increasingly refined and stable, allowing them to age more consistently.” Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous

“You may think you know New Zealand wines but I can assure you that until you have tasted Pyramid Valley, you have no idea. The results speak for themselves: astonishingly good, terroir-expressive wines that will challenge all your preconceptions.” Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate

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