Black Estate Netherwood North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2017 $75 When I say this pinot noir brings the funk, I don’t mean the kind of funk occurring in the ‘used mats’ bin down the local Bikram studio, I mean freshly-turned-earth funky, old, seasoned leather funky, wild cherries and spiced rhubarb funky. Unfined and unfiltered, it’s cloudiness … Read More
Pinot Noir
Putangi Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019
Putangi Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019 $31 This new range of wines created by Greg Hay and his team at Wet Jacket Wines, is named after the trusty rowboat used by pioneer conservationist, Richard Henry, who in 1894 began ferrying as many of our endangered birds as he could find, from parts of Dusky Sound, … Read More
Neck of the Woods Central Otago Pinot Noir 2018
Neck of the Woods Central Otago Pinot Noir 2018 $38 Neck of the Woods is the brainchild of AJ Johnson, a long-time television industry professional who got the wine bug bad and set about securing sites that’d deliver pinot noir that wasn’t “mass-produced sh*t”. This vintage hails from two Bendigo vineyards, one on a flat … Read More
Mills Reef Reserve Marlborough Pinot Noir 2017
Mills Reef Reserve Marlborough Pinot Noir 2017 $23.99 If you’re able to get your hands on this vintage then you’re a lucky sausage – because there’s precious little available and yet it’s drinking SOOOOO (that’s 5 ‘o’s so it’s a banger) nicely. Smooth and cherry-driven, layered with black tea and cocoa and showing a luscious … Read More
Hunter’s Wines Offshoot Marlborough Pinot Noir 2019
Hunter’s Wines Offshoot Marlborough Pinot Noir 2019 $24.90 Young winemaker James Macdonald has really stretched the elastics out in his jumping game (any girl who grew up in the ’80s will get this) and this pinot noir is lush, plush, ripe and seriously, super-easy-to-sip. The texture is slightly powdery and darn noice (it’s a word) … Read More
Matahiwi Wild Holly Pinot Noir 2019 $45
Matahiwi Wild Holly Pinot Noir 2019 $45 (to be released) Crafted by winemaker Ben McNab, this new vintage of the ‘Wild Holly’ is a step off the footpath and into the rugged, tufty, terrain on the outside of the norm. Whole clusters of hand-harvested berries were sorted, gently transferred to an open-top fermenter, then punched-down … Read More
Lowburn Ferry Homeblock Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017
Lowburn Ferry Homeblock Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017 $70 Grown on land that was farmed for over 160 years meant these grapes benefitted from soils rich in organic matter and good old dirt development – very unusual for the mostly glacial, loess soils of Central Otago. The grapes are packed with flavour, flirtiness and spice … Read More
Black Estate Damsteep North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2017
Black Estate Damsteep North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2017 $45 Get ready to get swept into a vortex of Chinese herbal tea, hedgerow fruits, seasoned leather and wild cherry characters on the nose and in this very nicely structured, organically grown pinot noir, there is an exotic intensity that rolls through to the palate. It literally … Read More
Pegasus Bay Aged Release Waipara Valley Pinot Noir 2009
Pegasus Bay Aged Release Waipara Valley Pinot Noir 2009 $40 The clever kids at Pegasus Bay had the foresight to squirrel away a stash of their sought-after pinot noir a decade ago in order to show us what its really capable of. I love the juicy cherry and redcurrant characters, the evolvement of the spices, … Read More
Misha’s Vineyard The Soloist Central Otago Pinot Rosé 2019
Misha’s Vineyard The Soloist Central Otago Pinot Rosé 2019 $27 The freshly-crushed pinot noir berries were left to soak on their skins for 24 hours to extract this gorgeous, redcurrant hue. It’s an ultra-clean, yet full-bodied style that’s dry, incredibly zesty, cherry and berry-saturated rosé that really satisfies. Cleansing, spicy, it’s very much like a … Read More