Aces & Arrows Pinot Noir

2021, Central Otago New Zealand

Aces & Arrows is a side project by global booze giants Pernod Ricard
Made by one of their winemakers Greg - he LOVES Pinot! (and he's made it in the Napa Valley, Oregon, Hawke's Bay, Marlborough and now Central Otago)
Using wild fermented Central Otago Pinot Noir grapes for added weight and complexity, aged in oak for a touch of spice
4 Stars (Michael Cooper) - "A moderately complex style, with generous, ripe cherry, plum and spice flavours, hints of nutty oak, fresh acidity, and very good depth and harmony. Best drinking mid-2025+."

The Aces & Arrows Wine Co – made by our own rules. Or so the label says.

Aces & Arrows is a side project created by global booze giants Pernod Ricard. These guys have a massive global network of top vineyards, growers and winemakers and the idea was to allow some of their existing winemakers a bit of creative freedom in crafting small batch wines that were just a little bit left field.

This is the Aces & Arrows Pinot Noir 2021 from Central Otago. The winemaker’s true identity is kept a bit of a secret but they did tell us his first name’s Greg.

Greg’s mad for Pinot. He’s made Pinot from the Napa Valley, Oregon, Hawke’s Bay, Marlborough and now Central Otago.

Greg knows a thing or two about how the Pinot Noir grape can be a bit fussy and fickle. For the Aces and Arrows project he’s taken a walk on the wild side and wild fermented the Pinot grapes for added weight and complexity, before aging the wine in fine grained French oak for a touch of spice.

In Greg’s own words “Central Otago has developed an amazing reputation for the highest quality Pinot Noir, and this wine is no exception. Daily tasting of all our small batch Pinot Noir ferments led me to identify the most unique and interesting batches that I then used to craft this wine. This wine is truly a one off and represents the best 2021 has to offer.”

Nice work Greg.