2020 Blank Canvas Settlement Pinot Noir, Marlborough

A youthful core of dark red cherry and fruit spice, there’s a distinctive perfume of rose then wild berries and oak spice. A fine white smoke note from barrel and soft silty soil earthy quality layers in breadth and complexity. Lots of core red fruit flavours touch the palate first then textures from finer polished tannins, plenty of acidity and a fine saline quality. Fresh, varietal balanced, a nice tautness and gentle squeeze, well made, youthful still and lengthy. Best drinking from 2024 through 2030. Be great to see this wine in a year.

94 points Cam Douglas MS camdouglasms.com

Attractively aromatic wine with floral/violet, red cherry, grape stems and a suggestion of classy oak. Elegant wine with high energy, crushed herb flavours. Approachable now but with good cellaring potential 20 Dec 2022 Drink 2023–2028

95 points Bob Campbell MW therealreview.com

The Blank Canvas Settlement Pinot Noir from Marlborough is a single-vineyard wine that captures the precision and detail that husband-and-wife team Matt Thomson and Sophie Parker-Thomson MW have built their reputation on. The grapes come from the Settlement Vineyard in the Omaka Valley, an elevated, north-facing site with clay-rich soils that naturally produce small berries and low yields. These conditions give the wine its deep concentration and fine structure, while the cool nights of Marlborough’s southern valleys preserve the purity of fruit and acidity.

Winemaking here is hands-off but meticulous. The fruit is handpicked and wild-fermented with a good portion of whole bunches, adding aromatic lift and savoury complexity. Maturation in French oak barriques, largely from François Frères, brings subtle spice and polish without dominating the vineyard expression. The result is a Pinot Noir of beautiful poise, balancing power with elegance.

In the glass, it shows a fragrant nose of red and dark cherries, wild strawberry, and violets layered with subtle notes of thyme, undergrowth, and graphite. The palate is silky yet structured, with fine tannins and a core of vibrant acidity driving a long, mineral finish. It is both approachable young and clearly built for ageing, with the potential to evolve gracefully over 8 to 10 years.

Food matches lean toward dishes that echo its savoury dimension. Duck breast with cherry glaze, venison carpaccio, or mushroom ragout over creamy polenta would be superb companions. For a cheese pairing, try a semi-hard Alpine-style cheese like Gruyère to complement the earthy undertones.