Burn Cottage Moonlight Race Pinot Noir 2023 is a Central Otago Pinot Noir blended from Burn Cottage's three organic, biodynamic estate vineyards in Lowburn and Bannockburn. The wine has dark cherry, cocoa and rich herbal notes over a savoury, mineral core, with supple, fine tannin. It's a wine for anyone who wants a serious Central Otago Pinot Noir without single-vineyard pricing.
The name comes from the Moonlight Race, an old water channel that still runs through the Burn Cottage property, carrying snowmelt down from the Pisa Range. It's a fitting name for a wine that draws its character from three different sites rather than one.
This is a wine that shows what Burn Cottage does across its whole estate, not just its single vineyard sites. Open it with a good Friday night dinner, or reach for it if you're curious about Central Otago Pinot Noir as a region.
Burn Cottage Vineyard Pinot Noir and Sauvage Vineyard Pinot Noir, both single-site wines, show what one Burn Cottage vineyard can do on its own. Moonlight Race blends three: Burn Cottage Vineyard in Lowburn plus the Sauvage and Sappa Vineyards in Bannockburn. Each site brings something different to the blend, and blending them together delivers a wine with more layers than any one of the three would show alone, at a lower price than the single-vineyard bottlings.
What it tastes like
Dark cherry and cocoa lead, with floral lift and a savoury, herbal edge running underneath. There's real density to the mid-palate, with a mineral, earthy thread that keeps it from tipping into pure fruit sweetness. The tannins are supple and fine rather than gripping, and they carry through a long, savoury finish.
Style at a glance
- Body: medium to full
- Sweetness: dry
- Acidity: bright and fresh
- Tannin: supple, fine-grained
- Oak: French oak, 21% new, adds structure without dominating the fruit
- Style: savoury, mineral, dark-fruited, energetic
Food to enjoy this with
Seared duck breast, venison loin, mushroom risotto and lamb rump with thyme are all a natural match. A board of dry-cured charcuterie or a wedge of aged gouda works well too. For something a little different, try it alongside a roasted beetroot and goat's cheese salad. The earthy sweetness of the beetroot plays nicely against the wine's own savoury, earthy notes.
Who makes it
Burn Cottage was bought in 2002 by Marquis and Dianne Sauvage, Kansas farmers who recognised the site's potential on an early visit to Central Otago. The vineyard has been farmed organically and biodynamically from the very start. Grapes are hand-harvested and double-sorted before fermentation.
Claire Mulholland is General Manager and Winemaker. She's from Central Otago and has built her career around this region's Pinot Noir, with earlier roles at Rippon, Chard Farm and Gibbston Valley, plus vintage experience in Australia, Oregon and Burgundy.
About the vintage
Central Otago came into the 2023 season on the back of three years of La Niña conditions, and the middle of the growing season was warm and dry. Consultant viticulturist Timbo Morrison-Deaker recorded 150 growing degree days above the long-term average. That period of dry warmth broke in the final four weeks of harvest, when the region swung into El Niño and copped a burst of rain, wind, snow and frost that growers likened to spring conditions returning out of season, forcing frost-fighting after a three-year break from needing it.
Burn Cottage picked between 22 March and 17 April, at an average of 23 Brix, spanning both the settled early stretch and the unsettled finish. Good yields came from bigger berries rather than more bunches on the vine.
Despite the late-season scramble, Timbo still rated 2023 a stellar vintage for the region, with impressive colour and flavour development. Some sites came through with lower sugars and brighter acidity than usual, and Central Otago's later-ripening vineyards produced wines on the fresher, lower-alcohol end of the region's usual range this year. It's a style some drinkers prefer, and one this blend, drawing across three different sites, is well placed to balance out.
Critic scores and ratings
- 95 POINTS – MaryAnn Worobiec – Wine Spectator, October 2025. Also named in Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of the World for 2025.
When to drink it
Burn Cottage says it's drinking well now, and recommends cellaring it for 7+ years for those who want to see how it develops.
Technical details
| Winery |
Burn Cottage |
| Wine |
Moonlight Race Pinot Noir |
| Vintage |
2023 |
| Variety |
Pinot Noir |
| Region |
Central Otago (Lowburn and Bannockburn) |
| Country |
New Zealand |
| Alcohol |
13.5% |
| Oak |
French oak, 21% new |
| Fermentation |
Wild yeast, 21 days average, 5% whole cluster |
| Closure |
Screwcap |
| Cellaring |
Now, or 7+ years |
| Serving temperature |
16–18°C |
| Farming |
Certified organic and biodynamic |
Where to buy
For international delivery to the USA, Australia, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, China and South Korea, the Burn Cottage Moonlight Race Pinot Noir 2023 is available via our winenz.com website. For delivery in New Zealand you can purchase from thewineryonline.co.nz. If you are visiting New Zealand, you can also buy it at our Queenstown and Arrowtown stores, alongside a large range of New Zealand and international wine.
Questions we are often asked
What does Burn Cottage Moonlight Race Pinot Noir 2023 taste like?
It opens with dark cherry and cocoa, with floral lift and a savoury, herbal edge. The palate is dense and mineral, with fine, supple tannins and a long, savoury finish.
What vineyards is Burn Cottage Moonlight Race Pinot Noir blended from?
It's blended from three Burn Cottage estate vineyards: Burn Cottage Vineyard in Lowburn, and the Sauvage and Sappa Vineyards in Bannockburn, all farmed organically and biodynamically.
Is Burn Cottage Moonlight Race Pinot Noir 2023 organic?
Yes. All three vineyards behind this blend are certified organic and biodynamic, and have been farmed that way since Burn Cottage was established in 2002.
How long will Burn Cottage Moonlight Race Pinot Noir 2023 keep?
Burn Cottage says it's drinking well now, and recommends cellaring it for 7+ years for those who want to see how it develops further.
What food goes with Burn Cottage Moonlight Race Pinot Noir 2023?
Seared duck breast, venison loin, mushroom risotto and lamb rump with thyme all work well, as does a board of dry-cured charcuterie or a wedge of aged gouda.
What have critics said about Burn Cottage Moonlight Race Pinot Noir 2023?
Wine Spectator's MaryAnn Worobiec scored it 95 POINTS and named it in the magazine's Top 100 Wines of the World for 2025.
Where can I buy Burn Cottage Moonlight Race Pinot Noir 2023?
The Winery ships Burn Cottage Moonlight Race Pinot Noir 2023 internationally from winenz.com to the USA, Australia, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, China and South Korea, and delivers within New Zealand from thewineryonline.co.nz. It is also available in our Queenstown and Arrowtown stores.
