Charles Wiffen Marlborough Pinot Noir 2018 $29 Very lightly coloured and very fruity, it’s a lightly styled, very juicy pinot noir that is good, but in my view is overpriced for the quality of the vintage. It’s pleasant enough but lacks the depth and focus you’d expect at this price range. www.charleswiffenwines.co.nz
Pinot Noir
Cottier Gladstone Pinot Noir 2016
Cottier Gladstone Pinot Noir 2016 $28.50 Grown on that famous stretch of Wairarapa wine country, Dakins Road, this pinot noir captures the classic liquorice character which glows in many Gladstone district examples. It boasts an earthy backbone, loads of savoury character and a tonne of spice to cloak powdery tannins. Cherry and wild rhubarb dominate … Read More
Wairiki Estate The Redeemer Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir 2018
Wairiki Estate The Redeemer Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir 2018 $39.99 Crafted out in Mangatahi, on terraces high above the Ngaruroro river in the Maraekakaho area of Hawke’s Bay, it’s a seriously fragrant, cherry and dried herb-hefty style from a brand so small and under the radar, they’re practically subterranean. There’s a black tea and cranberry … Read More
Lindis River Central Otago Pinot Noir Rosé 2018
Lindis River Central Otago Pinot Noir Rosé 2018 $28 Those with small children will know as soon as they pour this into a glass that it’s the colour of Pamol, that soothing solution for temperatures, tummy aches and all manner of ailments, and i’m happy to say it’s juicy, cherry and raspberry aromatics all wash … Read More
Ara Single Estate Marlborough Pinot Noir 2019
Ara Single Estate Marlborough Pinot Noir 2019 $18.99 Grown in a dry-farmed site on the confluence of the Wairau and Waihopai Rivers, these pinot noir vines need to send their roots way down deep to extract any moisture from gravelly soils, this means they pick up valuable nutrition and mineral notes from those lower layers … Read More
Pegasus Bay Prima Donna Waipara Pinot Noir 2016
Pegasus Bay Prima Donna Waipara Pinot Noir 2016 $100 Mat Donaldson only makes a Prima Donna when the fruit is absolutely exceptional, which is good from a ‘guarantee of quality’ perspective, but it really gets up the goats of those wine aficionados with OCD who want nice, consistent vintage dates in their cellar collections. The … Read More
Ward Valley Mt Victoria Block Marlborough Pinot Noir 2018
Ward Valley Mt Victoria Block Marlborough Pinot Noir 2018 $29 I loved the 2016 version of the Mt Victoria Block pinot noir, but this 2018 is a softer, sexier, more sweetly-fruited beast altogether. Grown in the tiny, south-Marlborough sub-region of Ward, famous for its deep clay soils. It’s the clay that injects floral intensity to … Read More
Zephyr Wines MKI Marlborough Rosé 2019
Zephyr Wines MKI Marlborough Rosé 2019 $25 Crafted from pinot noir fruit sourced from the Glover family’s Brink Block vineyard, this is an intensely floral rosé packed with redcurrant and raspberry characters, edged with white pepper and spice. There’s a twang of tropical flavour and a long, dry, crunchy-fresh finish. The acidity is taut, cranberry-like … Read More
Zephyr Marlborough Pinot Noir 2018
Zephyr Marlborough Pinot Noir 2018 $29.99 Hands up if fresh strawberries, fresh, squinty rhubarb and fresh cherries are something you’d like all up in your cakehole? Well fret not, the pinot noir equivalent of special agent John Wick unleashing a hail of flavoursome weaponry upon thee. Ben Glover is the winemaker at the helm of … Read More
Bob short for kate Organic Marlborough Pinot Noir 2019
Bob short for Kate Organic Marlborough Pinot Noir 2019 $tbc So your plan’s not cunning enough to pin a tail on and call it a weasel? Fret not. It’ll never measure up to Kate’s scheme of disguising herself as a boy and calling herself ‘Bob’ to become Lord Blackadder’s manservant and keep a roof over … Read More