Vineyard: Renaissance Vineyard
Subregion: Bannockburn 
Region: Central Otago
Vintage: 2020
Soil Type: Mineral rich with glacial origins: a mixture of loess, gravels, schist and quartz
Viticulture: Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ) and practicing organic.

Winemaker's Notes: 

This is our second 'Una Volta' Pinot Noir from Central Otago, which is rather confusing considering Una Volta means 'one time' in Italian! 

The 'Una Volta' name is designated to limited release one-off parcels that we believe will make something very special. The 2020 Una Volta hails from a site with impressive pedigree: the Renaissance Vineyard on Bannockburn's Felton Road.

Sophie's family friends planted, manage and own this close-planted Pinot Noir and Chardonnay site above the Kawarau River and opposite the Bannockburn sluicings in the Cromwell Basin where Sophie grew up. So, it was only fitting that when a small 4.5 tonne parcel of this fruit was offered to us in 2020 we said yes.

We're very excited to able to showcase Bannockburn Pinot Noir with all its glorious fragrance, generosity, innate structure and staying power.

Reviews: 

2020 'Una Volta' Pinot Noir | Bannockburn

18 points (Top Equal Scoring NZ 2020 Pinot Noir) "Mid bricky red though a lot less evolved in colour than the 2019 Anthem Pinot. More savoury than the Anthem, more Côte de Nuits, with deeper bass notes of spice and ripe but not particularly sweet fruit – yet sweeter than burgundy. A touch of dried cherries. This has real depth on the palate, some spice, firm and smooth tannin texture and plenty of freshness in the most powerful of the Blank Canvas Pinots in this line-up. I personally prefer the Anthem style, with slightly more obvious stem effect, but this is impressive in its depth and staying power. Long and deliciously dry finish. (JH)" Julia Harding MW | JancisRobinson.com  

96 points -Outstanding  "Fragrant and complex, there’s a delicacy as much as there is power; aromas of place and time, cherry flesh and raspberry, a fine savoury dried herb quality with layers of oak and mineral earth qualities. Plush and ripe with satin textures touching the palate first, flavours of cherries and flowers, dried herb and tilled soils. The oak add complexity and texture from a soft vanilla and sweetness to coarse silk tannins then a medium+ acid line. Delicious, powerful and charming. Best drinking from late 2024 or early 2025 through 2032+. Cameron Douglas MS 

95 points "Pinot noir with restrained power and flavours suggesting black cherry, plum, mixed spice/wild thyme and spicy oak supported by fine, peppery tannins. Accessible but with good cellaring potential. 20/12/2022" Bob Campbell MW  

5 STARS "The 2020 vintage (5*) is a single-vineyard red, hand-harvested at Bannockburn and bottled without filtering. Ruby hued, it is a mouthfilling, very savoury wine, with deep cherry, plum, spice and nut flavours, showing excellent complexity, and a well- structured, finely poised finish. Best drinking 2025+. Michael Cooper, March 2023.

93 points "The 2020 Una Volta Pinot Noir is sourced from a parcel on Felton Road. It is open and fluid with a sense of plumpness and fruit generosity held together with a tension and line holding its shape. There’s woody herbs and lifted florals from the whole bunches alongside cherry fruit, black tea, nutmeg and cloves on the drawn out finish. The concluding impression is one of freshness, sinew and pep." Vinous | Rebecca Gibb MW, May 2023

92 points "Very succulent and juicy with plums and ripe strawberries with some orange peel undertones. Medium to full body. Round and creamy tannins and an enjoyable finish. Hard not to drink now. Sustainable. Drink or hold. Screw cap." James Suckling, March 2023

2018 'Una Volta' Pinot Noir | Queensberry

18+ Points (Top 3 NZ Pinot Noir 2018) "Much darker than the Anthem Pinot 2018. The fruit is also darker and more savoury but still with Pinot’s unmistakable perfume: dark-red fruits and a non-sweet floral fragrance – not really what I expected from the colour. There’s a Morey-St-Denis-like floral spice. Concentrated but not in the least heavy. Plenty of tannins considering it was only the free-run juice but they are polished and fine. Polar opposite to the Anthem 2019 and shows the range of terroirs and styles in Central Otago. Firm, gently chewy, with terrific density but all lithe and full of energy. Not quite ready yet though hard to resist." Julia Harding MW | JancisRobinson.com 27/01/22

95 Points "Una Volta means One Off, which is self-explanatory. From a vineyard in Queensberry halfway between Wanaka and Cromwell. Creamy-textured pinot noir with ripe plum, dark berry, liquorice, anise and spicy flavours. A classic 'iron fist in a velvet glove' with seemingly good cellaring prospects." 26/8/2020 Bob Campbell MW

91 Points “Cor almighty, this is a structured Pinot! It starts innocently enough, filling the mouth with elegant fruit, but as things progress, the tannins build to a crescendo, tightly clasping the mouth on the smoky-bacon-like finish. It's incredible that only free-run juice was used for the wine, such is its frame. The medium-length finish speaks of black cherry fruit, licorice, festive spices and a subtle floral note that is indicative of the high whole bunch component.” Rebecca Gibb MW for Vinous Media March 2021

92 Points “A one-off parcel of pinot that offers aromas of violets, as well as blueberries and cherries. The palate has an attractively supple and sleek feel with plush tannins and vibrant acidity, holding blue-fruit flavors smooth and fresh. Drink now. Screw cap.” Nick Stock for JamesSuckling.com February 2021.

90 Points "This too is very spicy and quite floral in character though the fruit is more deeply pitched, offering up notes of dark pinot fruit and plum nuances. There is a bit more volume as well to the richer though less well-delineated middle weight flavors that conclude in a delicious and complex if mildly edgy finale. This is certainly pretty but the balance is less well-dialed in plus there is a hint of warmth. 90/2024+ Allen Meadows (Burghound)

89+ Points “This is a new bottling from a vineyard located between Cromwell and Wanaka. Made using 50% whole clusters and 35% new French oak, the 2018 Una Volta Pinot Noir offers up scents of cola, raspberries and button mushrooms. It's medium to full-bodied and tart on the palate, veering toward cranberries on the finish, where silky tannins are accentuated by those crisp acids. Give it another year or two and see if it mellows a bit.” Joe Czerwinksi, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate April 2021

View Tasting Notes - 2018 | 2020