'Pinonui' 2025

A wine decades in the making, Pinonui represents curiosity, craftsmanship and a belief that great wines can emerge from the meeting of tradition and innovation.

It is with great excitement that we release the inaugural vintage of Blank Canvas Pinonui, a wine that embodies Matt Thomson's lifetime in winemaking. Across 68 vintages spanning 34 harvests in Marlborough and 34 throughout Europe, he has crafted thousands of wines while developing a deep appreciation for the traditional winemaking techniques of Northern Italy. Pinonui is the culmination of that experience, reimagined through the lens of Marlborough Pinot Noir.

Believed to be the world's first Pinot Noir produced using the traditional Italian appassimento method, Pinonui originates from a single parcel of Dijon Clone 777 in Marlborough's Southern Valleys. The hand-harvested fruit was carefully dried prior to fermentation, concentrating flavour and texture while preserving the fragrance, energy and elegance that define great Pinot Noir.

Inspired by decades of winemaking in both New Zealand and Italy, Matt Thomson and Sophie Parker-Thomson MW created Pinonui to explore a new expression of the variety. The dried fruit was fermented with 100% whole bunches and traditional foot treading before maturing in French oak barriques. The wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered.

The result is a Pinot Noir of profound perfume and freshness, coupled with undeniable presence and richness.  Lifted violet florals mingle with red and black cherry fruit, rosehip and fine cedar spice, underscored by a subtle, alluring smokiness.

While intensely concentrated and textural, the wine fermented to complete dryness, lending remarkable freshness, precision and balance. It is a rare expression that unites ethereal perfume and vitality with the depth, richness and stature more often found in much heavier wines.

With only 650 bottles produced, Pinonui is an exceptionally rare release that brings together Marlborough terroir and one of the world's most revered winemaking traditions.

Subregion: Omaka | Southern Valleys
Region: Marlborough
Vintage: 2025
Soil: Shallow wind-blown loess over low-vigour clay loams
Clone: Dijon Clone 777
Viticulture: BioGro Certified Organic & Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand Certified (SWNZ)
Certification: Appellation Marlborough Wine (AMW)

Unfined | Unfiltered