Black Quail Central Otago Pinot Noir 2020 $55 
Made by the scarily talented Jen Parr from an 8-ha block of fruit grown by the Keillor family in Bannockburn, this new release pinot bursts with whipcrack freshness and personality. Crammed with black cherry, blueberry, rhubarb and rooibos tea leaf tones, it’s a lush, deliciously structured thing to drink. Youthful and awash with forest floor and floral notes, it also has a core of smoky, softly-scorched oak which adds to its richness and complexity. It’s lovely drinking now but built for the long haul too.
“Basically, the best row in a given vintage is chosen for the under 400 cases that Jen produces for us,” says consultant Guy Wright. “The vines are managed differently in the row over the growing season. So it’s kind of a single vineyard, mature-vine, row selection that the Vinous Genius Jen with Timbo Deakers support then attack.”
