Nautilus have been focused on delivering nothing but the finest Marlborough Pinot Noir since inaugural release. Fruit is sourced from five special sites, each of which bring their own level of interest and complexity. Clay Hills in the Southern Valleys provides the backbone, harvests from the Awatere and Kaituna, Renwick and Yarrum vineyards, contribute to the structure and add layers of flavour. A tightly wound and regionally articulate Pinot Noir, to match alongside venison or veal, salmon steaks or duck.

The team at Nautilus have built a dedicated Pinot Noir cellar incorporating principles of minimal handling and gravity flow, permitting the handling of fruit with the utmost respect. Vineyard clones 114, 115, 5, 667 and 777 are hand harvested and de stemmed without crushing to allow a portion of whole berries in the ferment. Parcels are filled to open top fermenters for a week of cold soak and inoculation. Treated to a careful cap management, using pneumatic punch down device, effectively extracting only the soft ripe tannins. After pressing, batches are racked directly to a mixture of seasoned and new French oak barriques, where they quietly mature until filtration and bottling in the following spring.