One of the pleasures of making the Botanicals Collection wines every year is seeing how recognisable each parcel is, no matter what the season might bring. Although we know what to expect in each of the wines, they still have their surprises. I think our latest 2024 release shows that incredibly well.

At Waikari, El Niño brought us a warm, dry growing season. The fruit ripened well, and the very dry finish gave the wines plenty of flavour while maintaining their own distinct personality. Field of Fire still has that straight line of acidity and saline finish. Lion’s Tooth is broader and more expansive in the mouth followed by its saline drive as is typical of this block. Angel Flower is darker and has more ripe fruit than usual, but you can still find its floral character and chalky tannins. Earth Smoke has great ripeness and all the structure and savoury complexity we love in that block – I’m especially pleased with this wine and suspect it may be the best Pinot Noir I’ve made in my career to date.

Early morning harvest, April 2024 (Richard Brimer photographer)  

Low Burn in Central Otago had its own unique season. Warm days and just a little spring rain was followed by strong winds that kept the vineyard team busy with canopies. Autumn arrived early and slowed everything down, giving Snake’s Tongue a longer, gentler run to harvest. It has pure ripe fruit, but also the floral lift, texture, and savoury character that make that small parcel so interesting to work with.

Snake’s Tongue fruit arrival at Waikari, April 2024 (Richard Brimer photographer)  

While we’ve been getting the 2024 Botanicals ready to share with you, I’ve also had the chance to spend some time in London and Burgundy for our Opposites < > Attract comparative tastings. We put our 2024 Chardonnays in front of people whose judgement we respect, alongside wines we’ve long looked to as benchmarks. Seeing how well our wines held their own was a great feeling. So too was listening to Jancis Robinson MW and Jasper Morris MW, two of the world’s most respected wine writers, banter across the room about them!

In the tastings, most guests correctly identified Field of Fire and Lion’s Tooth Chardonnay as New Zealand wines, an outcome I was really pleased with. Waikari has its own unique character, and you can always see it in these wines. Tasted alongside a Domaine François Raveneau Butteaux 1er Cru Chablis, one of Chablis’ greatest producers, our wines held their own, which is a fantastic reminder for our team of what this special vineyard can produce. 

Huw Kinch
Pyramid Valley Winemaker & Estate Manager