As many of you know by now, since day one in 2009 Yoshiaki and Kyoko Sato have been working towards growing and making wines from their own estate. First starting with fruit sourced from organic vineyards, and then later farming Northburn Vineyard, the intention was always clear; to one day grow and produce wines from their own farm.

Introducing La Ferme de Sato (Sato Farm), with the couple purchasing bare land in 2015, developing the vineyard for over one year, first planting in 2016, and then working tirelessly since to offer these wines with their first release from the 2019 vintage now in 2022.

The vineyard is situated along the Mt Pisa Ridge, just north of Cromwell, where it is planted to Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Gamay, Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir. Just 5 hectares in size (3.2 hectares under vine), the soils are rooted in mineral-abundant schist and quartz with a thin layer of windswept loam.

The vineyard has been planted and managed organically and biodynamically since day one in order to build soil structure with the help of biological diversity, and just 3 vintages ago the Satos also built their winery on site too. The winery is complete with a temperature and humidity controlled barrel aging room, allowing these wines to be aged until they are deemed ready for release.

Sur Les Nuages: In the Clouds

Vineyard: Sato Pisa Vineyard

Soil: Alluvial sandy or silt loam with schist & quartz gravel

Varietal: Pinot Noir

Viticulture: No pesticides, herbicides, systemic fungicides or inorganic fertilisers used

Harvest: Hand picked, 21 March - 5 April 2019, 19 hl/ha

Vinification: Natural yeast fermentation, 10% whole bunch, 27-30 days on skins, no additives except for 15mg/L sulphites before bottling

Maturation: 19 months in French oak barrels, no new oak

Bottling: 3 December 2020 without fining or filtration

14 cases available in New Zealand

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