2020 Blank Canvas Una Volta Pinot Noir, Central Otago

Pinot noir with restrained power and flavours suggesting black cherry, plum, mixed spice/wild thyme and spicy oak supported by fine, peppery tannins. Accessible but with good cellaring potential. 20 Dec 2022 Drink 2023–2030

95 points Bob Campbell MW therealreview.com

Blank Canvas Una Volta Pinot Noir from Central Otago is a beautifully detailed and expressive single vineyard wine that showcases the power and precision of New Zealand’s most southerly wine region. Crafted by Matt Thomson and Dr Sophie Parker-Thomson MW, it reflects the Blank Canvas philosophy of making wines that reveal the personality of place through minimal intervention and thoughtful craftsmanship. Una Volta, meaning “one time” in Italian, is reserved for rare, one-off cuvées that express something truly unique — a vineyard, a vintage or a moment that cannot be repeated.

The fruit for this Pinot Noir comes from a single site in Bannockburn, one of Central Otago’s most acclaimed subregions. The vineyard’s schist soils and continental climate deliver small, concentrated berries with intense flavour and fine tannin. The grapes are hand picked and partially fermented with whole bunches using native yeasts, enhancing aromatic lift and complexity. The wine is then aged in French oak barrels for around a year, mostly seasoned, to preserve purity and texture.

In the glass it shows a deep garnet colour with ruby edges. The nose is perfumed and layered, revealing wild strawberry, red cherry, thyme and rose petal with hints of spice and forest floor. On the palate it is silky and precise, combining vibrant red fruit with earthy undertones and a mineral core that speaks clearly of its Bannockburn origins. The tannins are fine and chalky, the acidity bright, and the finish long and savoury. It is a wine of finesse and quiet confidence rather than power — pure Central Otago elegance.

Blank Canvas Una Volta Pinot Noir pairs beautifully with roast duck, mushroom risotto, grilled salmon or venison carpaccio. It also complements earthy dishes like beetroot tart or roasted root vegetables. While stunning now, it has the structure and balance to age gracefully for up to ten years, developing more savoury and truffle-like nuances over time.