Next time you reach for a bottle of Kiwi pinot noir, take a look at the region you’re drinking.
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There is a pretty, herbal complexity to the cool demeanour of Nelson pinot noir, and Seifried encapsulates it particularly gracefully in 2010. A wine of fruit focus, primary cherry and redcurrant flavours and finely textural tannins.
readThe entry wine of this single vineyard, single variety estate from Lowburn in Central Otago enjoys the balance and confidence of vines that reached ten years of age in 2010. The result is a primary red berry and mixed spice style of herbal complexity and finely textured structure.
readHunter’s is one of the reliable names in value-for-money pinot noir, and this release is particularly flattering in elegance and finesse. Low alcohol and finely textured, chalky tannins provide space for focused cherry, red berry, herb and pepper flavours to dance with light-footed grace. $23 at Discount Wines.
readVine age elevates pinot noir more dramatically than any other varietal, and magical things are happening here as the vines reach ten years of age. Purposely more elegant in style, it leads out with subtle violet perfume. The palate is finely textured and chalky, with impressive length and accuracy of dark cherry and plum fruits, […]
readSpy Valley has been circling at an ever-higher orbit with each passing year, this year reaching all new levels of control and balance. Firm, finely structured tannins provide a rigid chassis for long-lingering, deep black fruits. $22 at Bellevue Hill Bottle Shop.
readThe first fruits of Martinborough’s 2011 vintage flatter the higher acidy and lower alcohol of the season. This is a spice-accented and fruit-focused style of rhubarb and mixed spice, attractively textured and persistent. $27 at Wine Box Warehouse.
readNever has a more captivating pinot noir emerged from the revered Dog Point cellar, thanks to an ever more focused regime that hones in on every detail. Vineyard clones have been refined since 2006, yields are stringently moderated and the harvest is sorted prior to cold soak, wild ferment and maturation in French oak (half […]
readCloudy Bay has captured a particularly pretty and complex expression of Marlborough’s signature red-fruited pinot noir style. Classic red cherry, strawberry and raspberry fruit is accented with rose hip, pink pepper and notes of forest floor. A wine of linearity, persistence and firmly structured tannins that promise great things over the coming decade. $34 at […]
readThis was the finest pinot in the room at the recent New Zealand tasting (and I gave all ninety a thorough work-out!). A particularly strong vintage for one of the star performing estates of the region, producing a particularly refined wine of brilliant complexity, sniper-like focus, seamless line and sensational length. It swirls with black […]
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