Ata Rangi winemaker Helen Masters says that vine age is the biggest influence in their wines as it determines where the vines sit in the soil structure, with older vines sending their roots deeper into the Martinborough gravel. The philosophy with Crimson is a younger vine selection, while still looking to express the character of […]

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At this price point, Australian and New Zealand pinot noir are a much more reliable investment than Burgundy, but this is the third vintage of this label that has made the cut for Wine Taste. It’s a reliable and value for money monopole that transcends the lesser appellation of Mercurey, from vines aged between 20 […]

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Showcasing all the fanfare of 100% whole bunch fermentation, this is an intoxicatingly perfumed, fragrant and Musigny-like Macedon pinot noir, crammed with rose petal fragrance, musk, pink lady apples, strawberries and red cherries over a wonderful sea of exotic spice. It’s beautifully textured, fine and mouthfilling, lingering with excellent line and length, enlivened by tense […]

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Elegant, pretty and fragrantly appealing, yet possessing grand endurance, Jeffrey Grosset has created a contradiction achieved only in the most outstanding pinots. It’s a gorgeously fragrant and fresh style of rose petal perfume, raspberry and red cherry fruit, charged with a delightful line of well-focused Adelaide Hills acidity. Tannins are very fine and velvety, yet […]

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Beautifully crafted and gracefully engaging, Lily is a pinot noir of elegant red cherry fruit, pretty rose bud perfume and enticing nuances of pink pepper and beetroot. Seamless, effortless and restrained, this is a vintage structured with silky, velvetty tannins that float on a persistent and alluring finish. $65 at Banks Fine Wine.

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The most reserved and structured of the Kooyong trio this year, the ferrous nature of this vineyard is emphasised in tightly coiled restraint, earthy flavour and texture and an almost iron-filing like grip. Black fruits and beetroot and encased within very fine, firm tannins. It’s beautifully crafted, with a finish that lingers long and even. […]

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The most fragrant of the Kooyong trio, Meres is a pinot noir of beautiful perfume of delicate rose petal and red cherry. This carries right through the palate, giving elegance to savoury depth of beetroot and tangy morello cherry fruit. Tannins are fine yet confident, lingering with excellent line and length, promising a great future. […]

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Some are saying 2013 was the best vintage in Martinborough in a decade. Ata Rangi winemaker Helen Masters describes it as pretty much a perfect vintage, with dramatic cool nights to retain acidity at the end of the season, creating a tension between concentration and length. This permitted her the scope to ferment with 30% […]

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The most commanding and deepest of the Kooyong single vineyard trio in 2012, Haven delivers wonderful precision of black cherry fruit over a backdrop of beetroot and brambles, carrying long on the finish. The power of this vineyard is well encapsulated in an expansive palate that fans out into depth and breadth on the finish, […]

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From a famed little vineyard on the Mornington, this is a delightfully characterful pinot of fragrance, purity, delicacy and structure. In 2013 its purity of fruit is mesmerising, but it’s the line and persistence that elevate it to one of the great vintages from this special place. Magnificent aromas of rose petal unite with exact […]

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