Russian Jack Martinborough Pinot Noir

Quite simply – a bloody awesome bottle of Pinot Noir for a snip under $20! Russian Jack is part of the Foley group (they’re the guys that own the likes of Mt.Difficulty, Vavasour, Te Kairanga and more) and the wine made by Martinborough Vineyard’s Chief Winemaker Paul Mason.

From an absolute stellar 2020 Martinborough vintage that certainly got plenty excited in the region…

“2020 was an incredible vintage”
“It was one of the most favourable Pinot Noir seasons in many years”
“The overall quality of the harvest was outstanding and one of the best seen in the decade making it one extraordinary vintage”

In fact the juice used for this Russian Jack label comes from the same vines used for Martinborough Vineyard’s famous Te Tera Pinot Noir (selling for $27-30 typically) and with 2020 being such a good vintage most of the juice went into the Te Tera label and only a small amount allocated for the Russian Jack label. So essentially you’re getting Pinot of quality closer to $30 for an absolute song!

Russian Jack was a sailor from Latvia (not quite Russia, but pretty close) who lived a nomadic life in the Wellington area for some 50 years.

He was well known for carrying his life in sacks over his shoulder and was a keen fruit picker for vineyards in the region. He became something of a local legend which is why you’ll find a statue of Russian Jack there in Masterton.

This punches well above what you could normally expect for a $20 Pinot. A gorgeously supple style Pinot with dark cherry and berry fruit flavours. Drink now to 2027.