Organic. This is the second release under Corofin’s newly minted ‘regional’ label―you could consider these the estate’s village-level wines. Don’t let that fool you; there’s very impressive material in these wines. This year, the blend comprises fruit from two vineyards in the Brancott Valley, Wrekin (55%) and Folium (45%).  Planted by Fromm in 1996, the Folium Vineyard is an organically tended site on Southern Valley clay (around 1.5 metres deep with gravelly silt on top). The site is dry-grown, and Corofin works with just five rows―a total of 1,200 vines. The Wrekin Vineyard is a small, organic-certified (BioGro), biodynamically farmed site at the top of the Brancott Valley. 

Wrekin was picked on 19th March, and Folium followed three days later. All the fruit was pressed gently as bunches and transferred to seasoned puncheons and two stainless-steel barrels for fermentation and malolactic conversion. After 12 months, the wine was transferred to tank for a further eight months’ maturation before being bottled without fining or filtration.

Corofin’s regional wines made their debut last year, and a fine debut it was. Rather than casting the net wide to unknown and unproven sources, Mike Paterson composes these wines from his most prized vineyards―the sites responsible for his exceptional single-vineyard bottlings. This year’s release combines fruit from three sites in three valleys: Wrekin in Brancott Valley (45%), Settlement in Omaka Valley (45%) and Churton in Waihopai Valley (10%). Paterson loves the combination of the Wrekin and Settlement sites, finding harmony in the elegant, red-fruited suppleness of Settlement and the brooding, savoury weight of Wrekin. It’s a match made in Marlborough, with Churton bumping up the structure and spice. 

Settlement and Wrekin came off the vine on 17th and 19th March respectively, with Churton following a few days later on 29th. All the fruit was destemmed to a tank that was sealed for five days, after which the fruit was punched down. Fermentation lasted 10 more days. After 19 to 22 days, the wines were pressed to seasoned French barrels for 13 months’ maturation, followed by a further five months in tank before bottling without fining or filtration.

Organic. Planted in 2002, the Wrekin Vineyard is a small, organically certified (BioGro) and biodynamically farmed site at the top of the Brancott Valley, almost in its own locality. It’s a great new site for Corofin, providing both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay of “exceptional individuality and quality”, according to Mike Paterson. Owned by Jan and Andrew Johns and farmed by Jeremy Highland, Wrekin sits in the lee of the Southern Valley scarps on clay-rich soils laid over greywacke mother rock. Orientated northeast and planted at 4000 vines per hectare (to moderate vigour), it’s also one of the highest vineyards in the valley, producing fruit that is often the last to be harvested.

No matter the season, yields are always low at the Wrekin site, and though crops were healthier in 2022 than the preceding year (25hl/ha), levels did not exceed those stipulated for Grand Cru Burgundy (35hl/ha). The fruit was picked by hand on 23rd March and gently pressed as bunches to tank. Only the soft pressings were used, and fermentation occurred in two seasoned 500-litre puncheons and one 280-litre stainless-steel barrel. After a leisurely fermentation (seven weeks), the wine underwent full malolactic conversion and 12 months’ maturation. The wine rested for a further eight months in tank before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Organic. Initially planted by Fromm in 1996, the Folium Vineyard lies in Marlborough’s Brancott Valley. Since 2011, this beautiful site has been owned and organically tended by viticultural purist Takaki Okada, who lives in a little house in the middle of his vines. The dirt here is Southern Valley clay, around 1.5 metres deep on top of gravelly silt. These soils retain sufficient moisture during the dry summers to balance growth without the need for irrigation. Corofin only gets to work with five rows (1,200 vines).

Mike explains that the Chardonnay from this dry-grown site delivers the holy trinity of “ripeness, precision and harmony”, reflecting Takaki’s sensitive farming practices and the vineyard’s ungrafted, deep-rooted vines. The fruit was picked a few days later than Wrekin on 26th March, and winemaking was similar. It was pressed as bunches, with only the soft pressings used. Fermentation, malolactic conversion and maturation occurred in seasoned puncheons and barriques for 12 months. It then spent another eight months in tank before bottling without fining or filtration. In contrast to the linear, mineral Wrekin, Folium boasts more weight around its bones while maintaining balance and fine structure.

Organic. Planted in 2002, the Wrekin Vineyard is a small, organically certified (BioGro) and biodynamically farmed site at the top of the Brancott Valley, almost in its own locality. It’s a great new site for Corofin, providing both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay of “exceptional individuality and quality”, according to Mike Paterson. Owned by Jan and Andrew Johns and farmed by Jeremy Highland, Wrekin sits in the lee of the Southern Valley scarps on clay-rich soils laid over greywacke mother rock. Orientated northeast and planted at 4000 vines per hectare (to moderate vigour), it’s also one of the highest vineyards in the valley, producing fruit that is often the last to be harvested.

This is Corofin’s third Wrekin Pinot, and it’s easy to see why this 14-hectare vineyard is fast becoming a significant site in the Marlborough landscape. Referencing the cool location and late ripening here, Paterson notes: “Having Pinot on the vine for as long as possible without compromising the integrity of site expression always produces the best results.” The 2022 season put an end to a string of drought-like seasons in Marlborough and heralded a return to decent yields―that said, the Patersons’ block was kept to a Grand Cru Burgundy-like level of 35hl/ha. The fruit came off the vine in mid-March and was destemmed to a pair of one-tonne open fermenters. The bottom 10% of the fruit was crushed by foot, with the remaining berries kept intact. Extraction was gentle and occurred once a day. After 21 days, the wine was pressed to seasoned oak for 14 months’ maturation, followed by eight months in tank before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Organic. The 20-year-old Settlement Vineyard is located on the slopes of the Omaka Valley to the south of Marlborough’s Wairau Plains. This organic-certified site is owned by Dog Point and is managed by gun viticulturist Nigel Sowman. The fruit for this bottling hails from a tiny sliver of vines at the top of the vineyard’s east slope, a clay-rich parcel planted at 4,000 vines per hectare (all 777 clone). Typically, the Settlement fruit is among the first to be picked and tends to sit in the red-fruited, youthfully radiant end of the Corofin single-vineyard spectrum. That said, Mike Paterson tells us he’s witnessed a significant evolution in the phenolic structure of the fruit in recent years, and as much plays out in the glass in 2022. 

The fruit was picked by hand on 19th March and destemmed to a pair of one-tonne open fermenters. The bottom 15% of the fruit was crushed by foot, with the remaining berries kept intact. Extraction was gentle and occurred once a day. After 19 days, the wine was pressed to seasoned oak for 14 months’ maturation, followed by eight months in tank before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.