About The Wine
The Earth Smoke vineyard is named for the small magenta-flowered weed that grows on this particular block of the Pyramid Valley Vineyard.
The heavier soils on this part of the site produce a Pinot Noir with more weight and structure than the Angel Flower block.
It's a powerful wine, ripped in tannin and incredibly expressive. It's a wine that takes its time to unfurl in the glass, fruit, earth and floral tones all slowly revealing themselves.
It's a dazzling drinking expeience. Invariably an exquisite Pinot Noir that can hold its own against the finest in the world.
These wines are never made in large supply. The 2015 looks brilliant.
If you're looking for a unique expression of Pinot Noir, do not hesitate to try the Earth Smoke from Mike and Claudia.
About Pyramid Valley Vineyards
In the year 2000, Mike and Claudia Elze Weersing found the patch of earth they'd been searching 15 years for.
With a background in winemaking from Burgundy and vintages of experience from some of Europe's finest cellars, Mike knew what he wanted in a vineyard site. With Claudia by his side, they set about planting a biodynamic Garden of Eden from the ground up.
They planted four blocks, half Pinot Noir, half Chardonnay, on the slopes of Pyramid Valley in the South Island. The farm is a thriving ecosystem with cows, pigs, chickens, ducks, cats and dogs all living in harmony.
The winemaking in behind these wines is wholly minimalistic. Only old oak and clay amphora are used as vessels. Additions are a bare minimum. Every effort is taken to preserve the unique character of this special site.
These are some of the most compelling and individualistic wines in all of New Zealand that have received rave critical acclaim.
Canterbury, NZ
From The Producer
Earth Smoke Pinot Noir: for fumitory (from the Latin fumus terrae), a gentle and tender weed, with a beautiful magenta flower. Its wispy gray-green foliage, rising from newly cultivated ground, does indeed resemble smoke, especially in the half-light of dawn.
All of our Home Pinot Noirs are hand sorted and hand de-stemmed. This ensures that we keep fully intact berries and allows us to make sure that only the highest quality makes it into the tank. Hand sorting is the ultimate interface of what happens in the vineyard and what enters the winery and finally enters the bottle. If this sorting process takes two weeks then so be it. This is a process that our friends, sommeliers, distribution partners, interns, international winemakers assist us with each year.
The winery is a space where fruit can gently transition to wine. It is never pushed in a direction it doesn’t want to go or be and is always left to be ready when it feels ready.
Our wines are unfined and unfiltered where ever possible, with little to no additives. If sulphur is used it is only the minimum amount required pre-bottling.
We age our wines in clay and in barrel. When we use new oak it is in smaller quantities as we believe that our wines should tell a story of where they come from, the vineyard, the season, not the particular cooper and how long the wood was seasoned for.
At home we have the ability to not compromise on our beliefs and our intentions to produce transparent wines showing site, soil and season of the highest quality from great vineyards across New Zealand.
Blend : Pinot Noir (100%)
Closure : Screw cap
Drink Until : 2025
Bottle Size : 750ml
Pyramid Valley, Canterbury
Critic Reviews
"Moderately deep ruby-red colour with slight purple hues, lighter on the rim with a garnet tint. This has a very finely proportioned nose with good depth and concentration of dark-red berry and cherry fruit harmoniously entwined with a layering of dark and dried herbs and subtly lifted red florals, unfolding savoury mineral and earthy detail from the core. This grows in density and depth, becoming quite solid with aeration. Medium-bodied, the palate has a concentrated core of rich and lively strawberry and red berry fruit interwoven with dark herbs, unfolding savoury earth and mineral notes. The tannins are fine-grained, forming a firm core and the mouthfeel shows lively, refreshing acidity, providing energy and drive. The concentrated core carries to a long, solidly packed finish which retains a degree of elegance. This is a rich, concentrated Pinot Noir with dark-red cherry and strawberry fruit melded with savoury herb and earth notes on an energetic, fine-textured palate." - Raymond Chan
Delivery is Free for any order over $149 or more, or just $10 for any orders of $149 or less. There is no minimum order quantity and you can mix and match as much as you like. Make your perfect mixed pack!
Sydney Metro orders will be delivered the next day 5 days per week, Monday through Friday. We can guarantee delivery before Christmas as long as you get your order in by midnight 23rd of December. Please refer to this map to see if your address is considered Sydney Metro here.
Melbourne Metro orders are picked up from our Sydney warehouse every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and delivered the following day in Melbourne (Tues/Wed/Fri). We can guarantee delivery before Christmas as long as you get your order in by 10am 22nd of December. Please refer to this map to see if your address is considered Melbourne Metro here.
Brisbane Metro orders are picked up from our Sydney warehouse every Wednesday and delivered the following day in Brisbane (Thursday or Friday). We can guarantee delivery before Christmas as long as you get your order in by 10am 22nd of December. Please refer to this map to see if your address is considered Brisbane Metro here.
Australia Wide Deliveries outside of Sydney and Melbourne metro are all delivered with Australia Post's eParcel wine delivery service. They pick up from us at 12pm Monday through Friday. When your order has been dispatched you'll receive tracking information to your email. Unfortunately with the complications of Covid and expected Christmas surge Australia Post are being extremely vague about delivery times. You will need to have your order placed before midnight 10th of December if you want to ensure it’s there for Christmas.
Authority to Leave and other delivery instructions can be left in the ‘SPECIAL REQUESTS’ box during checkout. The 'SPECIAL REQUESTS' box can be found on the here page before the final checkout page.
Warehouse Pickup is available at our Sydney warehouse at 3 Fig, Ultimo, 2007. You are not able to browse our warehouse shelves and we are not licenced to sell over the counter, so please place your order online or over the phone before arriving. Feel free to call on arrival on 1300 668 385 and we can bring your order out to your vehicle.
Express Same Day Delivery is available for Sydney postcodes within 10km of the CBD. There is a $10 delivery surcharge and the order needs to be placed before 12pm midday.
Our Heat Policy can be viewed here. If you would like us to hold dispatch of your order for milder weather please leave instructions to do so in the 'SPECIAL REQUESTS' box found on the cart page before the final checkout. We are happy to hold it for as long as you like. All orders are fully insured so you can buy with full confidence that these tasty beverages will get to you in tip-top shape.
Returns are free for 100 days after purchase. You can view the conditions of our return policy here
For any other shipping related inquiries, please see our helpful FAQ, email us at hello@differentdrop.com or call us on 1300 668 385..
Do I have to order in dozens? No, please mix it up! You can order wines in any quantity and variation you like. You can order 1 bottle or 50. We challenge you to make the ultimate mixed pack of wine!
Are there volume discounts? No, our pricing is designed to be the best in market already - no marking up and then discounting down! For very large orders (weddings, etc) we are open to negotiating though. Just give us a call.
Do we price match? Yes, within reason. Everyday low & consistent pricing is something we strongly believe in. We want our customers to feel confident they are always getting the best price. If you see a price lower somewhere else let us know and we'll consider matching it. We'll even retrospectively issue you store credit if you have already purchased from us but you see a lower price somewhere later on. Our price match policy can be seen here.
Can coupons and discounts be stacked? No, only one discount or coupon can be applied to an order at once.
I am trying to add more of a wine to my cart but it won’t let me? This means we are running low on stock of that wine. So for example, if the website will only allow you to add 3 bottles and no more, then that is all we have of that particular wine. The good news is we may be able to order more for you. Just contact us on 1300 668 385 or hello@differentdrop.com and we'll organise the additional quantity for you.
Does Different Drop have a physical store? No. More of a warehouse/office. We do however offer a Click & Collect option from our warehouse in Ultimo, Sydney. Our warehouse address for Click & Collect is: 3 Fig St, Ultimo, 2007/ Please make sure you have placed your order before arriving at the warehouse
Can I special order a wine you do not sell? If it’s doable, then we’ll make it happen. Just contact us directly via phone, chat or email and we’ll find out for you right away. Please note that in most cases special orders such as these will need to be in full case lots (6 or 12 bottles).
More FaQs: here
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