2021 Escarpment Kupe estate spotlight
Escarpment on Kupe, from the winery's own film.
The market on this bottle
U.S. shop listings for this 750ml, before sales tax. Auctions and clearance specials are left out. The main-listing low is $74.99. This bottle is $45. Checked 2026-10-06.
Martinborough Pinot Noir
2021 Escarpment Kupe Pinot Noir, Martinborough, New Zealand
Kupe is the Pinot Noir Escarpment bottles from only the home block.
James Suckling scored the 2021 a 96, and Bob Campbell scored it 97 for The Real Review. The bottle is $45.
One block, still the whole wine
The vines sit on Te Muna Road, on the Huangarua escarpment, over the alluvial gravels of the Martinborough Terrace. Larry McKenna founded Escarpment and retired after 23 years. Tim Bourne is senior winemaker, Rowan Hoskins grows the fruit, and Pete Kight owns the estate.
If a single Martinborough block, scored 96 and 97, is the Pinot you tell people you drink, why shop for a wider blend?
The founder
Larry McKenna founded Escarpment and retired after 23 years.
The cellar
Tim Bourne is senior winemaker.
The vines
Rowan Hoskins is viticulturist.
The owner
Pete Kight owns the estate.
96 from Suckling, 97 from Bob Campbell
James Suckling scored the 2021 a 96. Bob Campbell scored it 97 for The Real Review in March 2023.
Suckling scored the 2017 a 98 and the 2019 a 95. The Real Review scored the 2020 a 97. Raymond Chan and Sam Kim both scored the 2019 a 97. Wine Advocate scored the 2018 a 94, and Bob Campbell scored that 2018 a 95.
The block, then the cap
What is in the glass is the 1999 home block on Te Muna Road, and the closure is a screw cap.
This is the 2021 those scores were written about. Add it at $45. Twelve bottles ship free in the lower 48. Hawaii and Alaska are quoted on their own.
The home block on the Huangarua escarpment.
Martinborough Terrace alluvial gravels, from the 1999 planting.
Screw cap.
Planted in 1999
High-density, own-rooted Abel clone, on about 1.8 hectares.
The planting year is 1999, on Te Muna Road.
The rows sit on the Huangarua escarpment.
Under them are the alluvial gravels of the Martinborough Terrace, and the wine is closed with a screw cap.
After McKenna
The estate he founded is still on Te Muna Road.
Larry McKenna founded Escarpment and retired after 23 years.
The home block went in during 1999, own-rooted Abel clone at high density.
Tim Bourne makes the wine now, Rowan Hoskins farms it, and Pete Kight owns the estate.
Why It Matters
The screw cap is on a block critics have followed for years, so the 2021 is a dinner Pinot as well as a bottle you can hold.
Duck breast with cherry is the plate, with mushroom risotto beside it.
Serve it at cool cellar temperature. It does not need a long decant.
Seared Duck Breast with Cherries and Port Sauce
Skin-on duck breast is seared until crisp, then finished with a glaze of cherries, tawny Port, and honey.
Why it works: Crisp duck and a cherry glaze give a Martinborough Pinot a rich plate without covering the site.
View Recipe for Seared Duck Breast with Cherries and Port Sauce (opens in a new tab)Mushroom Risotto
Arborio rice is stirred with stock, brandy or wine, and sauteed mushrooms until the pot turns creamy.
Why it works: The risotto is the quiet plate next to the duck, earthy enough for Pinot from gravel.
View Recipe for Mushroom Risotto (opens in a new tab)Open the home block
The 2021 is $45, the home-block Pinot James Suckling scored 96 and Bob Campbell scored 97.
Twist one open the next time duck and cherry are on the plate.
