Nautilus Southern Valleys Pinot Noir (2019)

Nautilus is a proudly family‑owned Marlborough winery built on simplicity, precision, and long‑term thinking. With a small, hands‑on team, every member is involved from vineyard to bottle, allowing winemaker Clive Jones to focus on crafting beautifully balanced wines rather than managing layers of staff. Their state‑of‑the‑art facilities let them pick exactly when the fruit is ready and fine‑tune details like color and flavor extraction, while five generations of Hill‑Smith family experience guide a cautious, quality‑first approach—changes happen only when they truly elevate the wine. Nautilus is also part of New Zealand’s Family of Twelve, a collective of top family‑owned wineries who share ideas and champion regional excellence. Inspired by the naturally perfect spiral of the nautilus shell, the estate strives for that same harmony and proportion in every wine they make.

Floral perfume and fine grained tannins derived from whole bunches compliment the natural plum and blackberry fruit typical of these Southern Valley sites. The clay soils give medium body, great flavour concentration, firm fine tannins and a lengthy finish.

The combination of earthy spice and bright fruit found in this wine compliment dishes such as duck breast with poached cherries.  New Zealand lamb, slow cooked with star anise, cinnamon and cloves, is another particularly good match to the spiced notes and succulent palate of this wine.