Auntsfield Heritage Pinot Noir

Extremely limited stocks of the Pinot Noir voted No.1 NZ Pinot Noir in Cuisine magazine’s 2026 tasting!

Auntsfield is the home to Marlborough’s very first vineyard and winery which dates back to 1873. While other early settlers saw sheep, David Herd saw wine! He planted the first vines in the region and made a cheeky little Brown Muscat wine and this continued to be made at Auntsfield Estate for another 50 years until 1931.

Some 100 years later in 1973 Frank Yukich of Montana planted vines in the area and declared “Wines from here will become world famous.” Frank was bang on the money.

Brothers Luc and Ben Cowley are the second generation Cowleys to run the Auntsfield Estate family business and carry on the legacy of one of Marlborough and New Zealand wine’s most historically important sites. No pressure lads!

The original cellar door from 1973 has been lovingly restored and the remains of the original homestead still stand on site today.

This is the Auntsfield Heritage Pinot Noir and it took out top spot for NZ Pinot Noir in Cuisine magazine’s annual Pinot Noir tasting. The judges called it “A fant­astic example from an incred­ible vin­tage that will con­tinue to develop with grace.”

A very special, extremely limited Pinot from a single block on Auntsfield’s steepest clay hillsides – their finest wine from a great 2021 vintage and infused with a remarkable 100 year old wine! In the words of the Cowleys the Heritage Pinot – “The very best five barrels were hand crafted as a tribute to David Herd who established Marlborough’s first commercial vineyard at Auntsfield in the 1870s. It also celebrates the anniversary of his final vintage with the addition of a portion of his original 1905 wine.”

They go on to say it “Exhibits the intensity, complexity, balance and sense of place required to honour the heritage of Auntsfield Estate: Marlborough’s first vineyard and winery.”

Scoring 94/100 and receiving a Top Rank Award, The Real Review’s Master of Wine Stephen Wong called it “Muscular and powerful.”

A Pinot with obvious class and while you’ll enjoy it in the short term it’ll comfortably cellar for 10-15 years from vintage.