Loopline Vineyard Wairarapa Pinot Noir 2018

October 19, 2019By Yvonne

Loopline Vineyard Wairarapa Pinot Noir 2018 $22 (not released, may be in new label) Bright ruby colour, intensely aromatic, clove, alspice, nutmeg, black tea, cocoa and wild cherry, solid acidity, tree bark, slight salinity, earthy edge yet has truckloads of flavour and a deep, dried herb, pepper – loads of good stuff here!  It’s perfumed … Read More

Te Mata Estate Alma Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir 2018

October 16, 2019By Yvonne

Te Mata Estate Alma Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir 2018 $60 Ultra-bright and bouncing with broody cherry and mulberry fruit, it’s fresh, vibrant and showing great depth and developing character.  The fruit appears ripe and yet shows restraint and the tannins have good cling and I feel they’ll integrate further with the fruit over time.  Savoury … Read More

Te Mata Estate Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir 2018

October 16, 2019By Yvonne

Te Mata Estate Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir 2018 $29 An ultra-fresh pinot noir that pushes fruit and spice out to the edges of the mouth, youthful yet intensely savoury cherry and hedgerow fruit focus, it’s a lovely thing to drink and demonstrates great potential for Hawke’s Bay pinot noir.  The tannins have great cling and … Read More

Rock N Pillar Central Otago Pinot Noir 2016

October 9, 2019By Yvonne

Rock N Pillar Central Otago Pinot Noir 2016 $29 Sourced from a single vineyard overlooking the Dunstan Basin, the Rock n Pillar pinot noir is fast becoming one of my favourite things.  Perfumed with forest floor, smoked strawberry, tree bark and cherry, it’s a full-yet-elegant style that’ll shiver your timbers and rattle your dags.  The … Read More

Lawson’s Dry Hills Marlborough Pink Pinot 2019

October 9, 2019By Yvonne

Lawson’s Dry Hills Marlborough Pink Pinot 2019 $25 If your recent rosé experiences have been a tad lacklustre, and you’ve been looking for love in all the wrong places, then PINK is here to help.  Bish, bolshy, bold and with meat on its bones, PINK is made from 100% Pinot Noir from Lawson’s Chaytors Road … Read More

Pohangina Valley Estate Pinot Noir 2009

October 4, 2019By Yvonne

Pohangina Valley Estate Pinot Noir 2009 $35 It’s a rare thing in New Zealand to still be able to buy pinot noir produced back in 2009 but located in the Pohangina Valley about 23 km from Palmerston North is a place where you can. Pohangina Valley Estate is situated on a stony river terrace framed … Read More

Askerne Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir 2017

October 3, 2019By Yvonne

Askerne Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir 2017 $22 If you’re a fiend for all things savoury, then this spicy, earthy, meaty example from Askerne will be right up your cul de sac.  Leather and forest floor and roasting pan notes combine on the nose and palate, followed by dried herb and cough-drop complexity on the finish. … Read More

Mount Brown North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2017

October 3, 2019By Yvonne

Mount Brown North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2017 $21.99   I first tasted this wine in April 2018 and upon recently re-tasting it, I had to adjust my notes because it’s maturing into something rather sensational.  Bright crimson in the glass and bursting with redcurrant, wild strawberry, raspberry and cherry notes on the nose and palate, … Read More

Blank Canvas Escaroth Marlborough Pinot Noir 2017

September 22, 2019By Yvonne

Blank Canvas Escaroth Marlborough Pinot Noir 2017 $49 Here’s a wine showing total class and elegance and you should own it immediately because that’s you in a nutshell right?  Grown by Andy and Kyna Laurie, in their dry-farmed, north-facing Taylor Pass vineyard (named after the fictional lake town where the elves in The Hobbit sourced … Read More

Pegasus Bay Aged Release Prima Donna Waipara Pinot Noir 2009

September 8, 2019By Yvonne

Pegasus Bay Aged Release Prima Donna Waipara Pinot Noir 2009 $120 I think the ‘Aged Release’ program that the team at Pegasus Bay have created (in order for people to be able to enjoy what a perfectly cellared, 10yo wine tastes like) is a joyous thing for muppets like me who didn’t manage to get … Read More