2023 Aratoro Pinot Noir, Isabel Estate
Marlborough, New Zealand
The Long Way Home
A Pinot Noir shaped by experience and precision. The nose opens with boysenberry, dark cherry and violet perfume, layered with subtle dried herbs and gentle spice. On the palate it’s rich yet beautifully composed, with black cherry and ripe berry fruit framed by silky tannins and a refined touch of French oak. Hints of vanilla, mocha and savoury depth add complexity, while a bright Marlborough freshness carries the wine to a long, elegant finish.
For when: you want Pinot Noir with both grace and depth.
Pairs with: duck breast, roast lamb, or wild mushroom dishes.
If this wine were a place: a quiet forest path at dusk.
Founded in the Wairau Valley in 1980, Isabel Estate has long been regarded as one of Marlborough’s benchmark producers. Named after early Marlborough settler Isabel Sutherland, the estate quickly established a reputation for wines that capture the region’s vivid aromatics and clarity of fruit. The vineyards sit on ancient riverbed soils cooled by maritime breezes, ideal conditions for producing wines with both concentration and freshness.
Today, the wines are crafted by Chief Winemaker Jeremy McKenzie, whose philosophy centres on careful vineyard work and minimal intervention to allow each site’s character to shine through. While Isabel is widely known for Sauvignon Blanc, those in the know often point to the estate’s Chardonnay and Pinot Noir as its most compelling wines, combining Marlborough brightness with Burgundian finesse and texture. The Aratoro range, meaning "path of discovery," represents the pinnacle of that vision: small-batch wines that reflect McKenzie’s journey through some of the world’s great wine regions and the finest parcels of the Isabel Estate vineyards.
Whats in the bottle
100% Pinot Noir