Pyramid Valley Snake’s Tongue Pinot Noir, Central Otago

Pyramid Valley Snake’s Tongue Pinot Noir is a single-vineyard New Zealand red wine. It is produced from grapes grown at Pyramid Valley’s estate in Central Otago. The single vineyard wines are named after the common colloquial name of the meadow plant dominant in its respective vineyard block.

Pyramid Valley Wines

Pyramid Valley Wines is one of New Zealand’s great wine estates where altitude, limestone, slope, rock and rich soils meet to produce profound Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The estate was founded by  Mike and Claudia Weersing, who had spent 15 years searching the world to find the perfect place to grow grapes. In 2000, they purchased the plot of land near Waikari in North Canterbury.

The Weersings worked the vineyards for nearly 20 years before selling to  Steve Smith MW (perhaps best known for establishing Craggy Range) and his business partner and wildlife conservationist Brian Sheth. Steve and Brian are building on the work done by the Weersings to fulfil the full potential of the site. In 2018, they acquired a second vineyard in Lowburn, Central Otago, known as Manata Estate, an established vineyard that has been producing exceptional Pinot Noir since 2002.

Pyramid Valley Mānatu Estate

The grapes for the Pyramid Valley Snake’s Tongue Pinot Noir come from the Pyramid Valley Mānatu Estate in Lowburn, Central Otago. The Snake’s Tongue parcel was planted in 2007. The Abel Pinot Noir clone is meticulously farmed to the highest standard. Soils are predominantly loess over deep silts that have developed pedogenic lime deposits. This creates a high pH environment not unlike the genuine limestone soils of Waikari. The vineyard is under organic conversion.

Pyramid Valley Snake’s Tongue Pinot Noir Winemaking

• Preparation: 100% Pinot Noir. 25% whole bunch with the remainder gently de-stemmed to maintain a high percentage of whole berries.
• Fermentation: Fermented using wild yeasts in open top Nico Velo concrete tulipes for 26 days.
• Ageing: Aged in French barrels for 12 months, 30% new oak.
• Blending and Further Ageing: Blended and aged for a further 6 months in oak before bottling.
• Bottling: Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Biodynamic Practices

Pyramid Valley vineyards are managed according to the principles of biodynamic viticulture, and the winemaking process follows natural processes, utilising indigenous yeast, no additives, natural fining, and minimal filtration.