Escarpment, founded in 1998 in Martinborough's Te Muna area of the Wairarapa, is a leading New Zealand Pinot Noir producer. The Noir label is its accessible tier, a soft, bright, fruit-forward wine that can be enjoyed young or held a few years. Fruit is 100% Martinborough, grown on free-draining gravel terraces where a dry, cool-nighted climate builds ripe but fresh Pinot with savoury depth. The 2023 vintage in Martinborough was marked by exceptional purity, giving bright, energetic acidity balanced by concentrated dark fruit. The wine is effectively declassified for immediate enjoyment, showing floral, strawberry and rose-stem aromatics over juicy, spicy fruit while retaining enough structure for medium-term cellaring.

The 2023 Noir is hand-harvested from Martinborough vineyards and fermented in open-top fermenters in Escarpment's savoury, minimal-intervention style, with on-skins maceration to draw out gentle structure and earthy, spicy character. Following the estate pattern the wine sees barrel maturation with oak kept in a supporting role, preserving the vintage's bright acidity and pure fruit, and is bottled without heavy filtration to protect its silky texture and polished tannin. The result is a light-to-medium-bodied, floral and fruit-forward Pinot with a crisp, fresh, persistent finish, designed for early drinking. Exact maceration time, barrel ageing and new-oak percentage for the 2023 are not published and would benefit from confirmation.