Burn Cottage Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022 is a certified biodynamic Central Otago Pinot Noir from Burn Cottage's own home vineyard in the Cromwell Basin. Expect dark cherry, violets and earthy, flinty minerality, with fine, sinewy tannins and real length. It suits anyone after a structured, savoury style of Pinot Noir built to reward time in the cellar.
The Burn Cottage Vineyard is the site the winery takes its name from, and the one it was built around: a single, amphitheatre-shaped block tucked beneath the Pisa Range, certified organic and biodynamic since the very first vines went in. This bottling is the estate's flagship, carrying the winery's own name, distinct from its Sauvage Vineyard and Moonlight Race labels.
It's a Pinot Noir for people who want structure and savoury depth over straightforward fruit. The tannins are firm and fine rather than plush, so it rewards a decant and a proper meal more than a casual glass on its own, and it's a genuine cellaring wine built to age for years rather than months. It picked up 96 points from The Real Review and 95 points from Wine Spectator in the past year.
What it tastes like
The nose is dark and layered: ripe dark cherry and violets sit over bright florals, with earthy, flinty mineral notes and a darker savoury edge running underneath.
The palate is supple and layered, with fine, sinewy tannins carrying an expressive core of dark berries, citrus and chocolate through to a crunchy raspberry-cranberry finish. There's real length and concentration behind it, not a quick fade.
It's delicious now, but the structure and concentration both point to a wine still building. Give it air in the glass, or better, a few years in the cellar, and there's clearly more to come.
Style at a glance
- Body: Medium-full
- Sweetness: Dry
- Acidity: Medium-plus, bright
- Tannin: Fine and sinewy, firm grip
- Oak: French oak, 26% new, from the Mercurey and Damy cooperages — enough for structure without dominating the fruit
- Keywords: dark cherry, violets, earthy, savoury, structured
Food
This is a Pinot Noir for the table, matched to its savoury, earthy side. A few pairings worth trying:
- Braised lamb shanks or lamb shoulder
- Venison loin with a juniper and red wine jus
- Seared duck breast with a dark cherry sauce
- Wild mushroom and truffle risotto
- Slow-braised beef short ribs
- Grilled quail or other game birds
- A well-aged cheddar or other hard, savoury cheese
Who makes it
Burn Cottage was founded in 2002, when Marquis and Dianne Sauvage bought the land that became the Burn Cottage Vineyard, in the Cromwell Basin above Lake Dunstan, Central Otago. The vineyard has been farmed organically and biodynamically from its first vintage, and holds BioGro certification. Claire Mulholland is the winemaker.
The vineyard itself is a single, amphitheatre-shaped, northeast-facing block at 240 to 310 metres elevation, just over 15 hectares planted at high density, 5,000 vines per hectare. Free-draining soils of sandy loam over schist and granite run through it, on rocky, gravelly slopes that naturally keep vine vigour in check.
The fruit is hand harvested and fermented with wild yeast, then bottled unfined and unfiltered. The 2022 is a multi-clone blend picked across eight blocks, including Abel and the 114, 115, 667, 777, 943, MV6 and 10/5 clones, with 7% whole clusters and an average 19 days in the fermenter before oak ageing.
About the vintage
Central Otago wineries widely describe 2022 as a strong, high-quality vintage. Mora Wines, in nearby Bendigo, called it "a stellar vintage with very high-quality fruit" on their own site: a warm, settled season with little wind or frost pressure, ideal flowering conditions, and steady November rain that kept canopies growing well through to a fast-paced but easy harvest.
At Burn Cottage, harvest ran from 17 March to 6 April, with fruit coming in at an average of 23 Brix. Central Otago's continental climate gave the classic swing between warm days and cold nights through the season, which holds acidity while still letting fruit ripen evenly, and the region's low disease pressure and free-draining soils kept the fruit clean and concentrated.
Wine writer Joelle Thomson, reviewing Grasshopper Rock's Alexandra vineyard from the same vintage, described 2022 as one of the region's easiest harvests in years: warm, with no weather pressure to pick before full ripeness, though yields ran 5 to 10% below average across the board. It's a vintage remembered for quality and concentration over sheer size, which shows through in this wine's depth and cellaring potential.
Critic scores and ratings
- 96 POINTS – Stephen Wong MW – The Real Review, September 2025
- 95 POINTS – MaryAnn Worobiec – Wine Spectator, November 2025
When to drink it
Burn Cottage's own estimate is 10 to 12 years of cellaring potential for this wine, and it's already drinking well. Give it a decant now to let the aromatics open up, or hold it and let the tannins soften further over the next several years. Serve at 14 to 16°C, a little below room temperature, so the fruit and florals stay in balance with the structure.
Technical details
| Winery |
Burn Cottage |
| Wine |
Burn Cottage Vineyard Pinot Noir |
| Vintage |
2022 |
| Variety |
100% Pinot Noir |
| Region |
Cromwell Basin, Central Otago |
| Country |
New Zealand |
| Alcohol |
13.5% |
| Oak |
French oak, 26% new (Mercurey and Damy cooperages) |
| Fermentation |
Hand harvested, wild yeast, 7% whole clusters, average 19 days in the fermenter, bottled unfined and unfiltered |
| Closure |
Cork |
| Organic / Biodynamic |
Certified biodynamic (BioGro) |
| Cellaring |
10–12 years, per Burn Cottage |
| Serving temperature |
14–16°C |
Where to buy
For international delivery to the USA, Australia, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, China and South Korea, the Burn Cottage Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022 is available via our winenz.com website. For delivery in New Zealand you can purchase from thewineryonline.co.nz. If you are visiting New Zealand, you can also buy it at our Queenstown and Arrowtown stores.
Questions we are often asked
What does Burn Cottage Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022 taste like?
Dark cherry, violets and earthy, flinty mineral notes on the nose, with a supple, layered palate of dark berries, citrus and chocolate through to a crunchy raspberry-cranberry finish.
What food goes with it?
Braised lamb, venison, duck breast with a dark cherry sauce, or a wild mushroom and truffle risotto all work well. A well-aged cheddar is a good match for its savoury, earthy side.
Is Burn Cottage Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022 organic and suitable for vegans?
Burn Cottage farms this vineyard under full biodynamic certification (BioGro), and the wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered, so no animal-derived fining agent is used in making it.
Is this a single-vineyard wine?
Yes. It comes entirely from the Burn Cottage Vineyard, the winery's own home site in the Cromwell Basin, distinct from Burn Cottage's Sauvage Vineyard and Moonlight Race bottlings.
How long will it keep?
This is built as a cellaring wine, and Burn Cottage's own figure is 10 to 12 years. Unlike most Pinot Noir on our list, it's sealed under cork rather than screw cap, so if you're putting bottles away, store them on their side to keep the cork from drying out.
What have critics said about Burn Cottage Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022?
It has scored 96 points from Stephen Wong MW at The Real Review in September 2025, and 95 points from Wine Spectator's MaryAnn Worobiec in November 2025.
Where can I buy Burn Cottage Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022?
The Winery ships Burn Cottage Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022 internationally from winenz.com to the USA, Australia, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, China and South Korea, and delivers within New Zealand from thewineryonline.co.nz. It is also available in our Queenstown and Arrowtown stores.
