Some wines are almost years in the pre-planning, others super spontaneous. This one was from a chance encounter with the Burder family, over a couple of glasses of Chardonnay up at their stunning Whitlands property nearing the end of a loooong vintage. Hearing there was a little of their prized grapes available, we swooped, and before we knew it, we had a buxom blanc de noir on our hands. We were after a style that was bold but refreshing and easy to serve (no explosive geisers of bubbles after opening!) Really happy with how it’s turned out. The label references the mighty Makoto Nagano scaling Mt Midoriyama for a Total Victory in Ninja Warrior 17, a moment of sporting majesty that gave the wine company its name.

80% Pinot Noir and 20% Pinot Meunier. Hand picked, whole bunch pressed and then cold settled for 2 weeks. Racked to tank and then left to ferment at low temperature to retain freshness and aromatics. – Konpira Maru