Burn Cottage is a Central Otago estate defined by stillness, structure, and the slow rhythm of the land. Located in Lowburn, just outside Cromwell, the 24-hectare property was founded in 2002 by Marquis and Dianne Sauvage, with famed biodynamic consultant Peter Proctor guiding its conversion from untouched pasture into one of New Zealand’s most soulful vineyards. From the outset, Burn Cottage has followed a singular path — producing a single Pinot Noir each vintage that captures the essence of site, season, and balance.

The vineyard is fully biodynamic, planted on glacial soils threaded with schist, gravel, and clay. North-facing slopes, wide diurnal shifts, and deep-rooted vines give the fruit natural freshness, aromatic lift, and finely grained structure. The estate is dry-farmed, with cover crops, compost teas, lunar rhythms, and livestock all playing a part in nurturing biodiversity and soil vitality. Each vine is treated as part of a wider living system, and nothing is rushed.

In the cellar, winemaking is intuitive and restrained, led by Claire Mulholland, who has guided the project since its inception. Pinot Noir is hand-picked, wild-fermented in small lots, and aged in French oak (less than 25% new) to preserve energy and site transparency. Extraction is gentle, with partial whole bunch and extended maceration used depending on the vintage. The approach is focused on allowing the land to speak — no fining, no filtration, and minimal sulphur.

The wines are finely woven and deeply expressive. Burn Cottage Pinot Noir is red-fruited and savoury — wild cherry, thyme, rose petal, and crushed herbs over a mineral, chalk-lined frame. It carries light and weight in equal measure — silken, structured, and made to evolve slowly in the glass and cellar. The Moonlight Race Pinot Noir, a second label, draws on younger vines and a broader blend of parcels, offering brightness, spice, and early approachability. Across the range, the style is unmistakably pure — not loud, but luminous.

What defines Burn Cottage is its quiet conviction — a winery that listens more than it speaks, crafting wines not to perform, but to reflect.

These are wines that hold stillness and strength in tension — shaped by land, rhythm, and the belief that the most honest wines come from doing less, not more.