The Latest Release from the Sauvage Vineyard

This is the third release from the beautiful North East facing vineyard on Felton Road, that we  named the “Sauvage Vineyard”.

It has all the hallmarks of Bannockburn Pinot Noir, with a bountiful array of ripe black plum and cherries notes, that are underlain with bright red fruits, black tea, and savoury/spice characters.

The palate delivers ripe, juicy tannins, that are balanced by a crunchy red berry freshness. We believe, it’s an exciting & complex expression of Bannockburn Pinot Noir, and has cellaring potential of 10+ years.


Many of you have followed us since our 2009 release from the Burn Cottage Vineyard and know the history of the Lowburn sub-region. As we are releasing the Burn Cottage Sauvage Vineyard Pinot Noir 2020, we thought it was an opportunity to share some of the history behind the Bannockburn sub-region, where our 21-year-old vineyard is located.

As far back as the 1860’s, Bannockburn was seen a unique sub-region of Central Otago, and gained notoriety for the gold deposits that were unearthed by the early settlers. The remnants of the prospector’s sluicing’s can still be seen today, as you travel along Felton Road, with the eroded hillsides looking like the Moonscape of a Sci-fi movie set.

In the ensuing years since the gold rush, the area has also been used for grazing livestock, growing stone-fruit, and other horticultural activities.

However, it wasn’t until 1991 that the first vines were planted on Felton Road, by the pioneering winery “Olssens” of Bannockburn and the first winery was built in 2007, by Felton Road.

Thirty-two years is a mere blink of the eye in a historical context, however, since 1991 the region has gained another 13+ producers that call Bannockburn home, and the wines have become some of the most revered and sought after by Pinot Noir lovers across the globe.

In recent times the strong reputation has caught the attention of international wine producers, including the Rothschild Family and Bernard Arnault from the luxury brands of Moët Hennessy - Louis Vuitton, who have invested in vineyards, wineries, and people in Bannockburn.

We love being part of this dynamic and evolving sub-region. Owning the biodynamically managed Sauvage Vineyard in Bannockburn and Burn Cottage Vineyard in Lowburn, allows us to make single vineyard wines, that express the character of two distinctly different sub-regions within Central Otago.

We hope you enjoy our latest release.

Cheers
 
Marquis, Dianne, and the entire Burn Cottage Crew.