Nga Waka ‘Lease Block’ Martinborough Pinot Noir 2014 $50 ★★★★½ I fell in love with the concentration and intensity of this wine from the very first sip. With so much lush, ripe red fruit and vibrant spices on the nose, you think it’s going to taste over the top and flouncy. However the cocoa, cherry … Read More
Pinot Noir
Fairmont Estate Admiral Hill Wairarapa Pinot Noir 2012
Fairmont Estate Admiral Hill Wairarapa Pinot Noir 2012 $25 ★★★ Lovers of old-school earthiness in their pinot will be all over this wine that’s produced from fruit sourced from the Gladstone Terraces. Made by Jon McNab, it’s a wine boasting aromas of ancient fallen tree trunks, lush forest floor notes, savoury cherry and shitake mushroom … Read More
Mahana Clays and Gravels Nelson Pinot Noir 2013
Mahana Clays and Gravels Nelson Pinot Noir 2013 $42 ★★★★½ Nelson produces some of the best pinot noir in the country and this is a great example of why. I love the aromas of tea, baked strawberries, cherries and all manner of earthy-sweet smokiness. ‘Mahana’ means ‘warm’ in Maori and there’s definitely smoothness and warmth … Read More
Mud House Dambuster Marlborough Pinot Noir 2014
Mud House Dambuster Marlborough Pinot Noir 2014 $39 ★★★★ This is the first single-vineyard release to come from the clay soils of their new ‘Woolshed’ vineyard located near the Delta Dam. Originally an old RNZAF base on land deemed too crap for cropping, this patch of dirt is more than proving itself in vines if … Read More
Bannock Brae Goldfields Central Otago Pinot Noir 2014
Bannock Brae Goldfields Central Otago Pinot Noir 2014 $30 ★★★★ This is one heck of an exotically perfumed pinot made for the Bannockbrae team by world-class winemaking wahine, Sarah-Kate (SK) Dineen. Boasting plum, black tea, hedgerow fruits, savoury, peppery notes and a chunk of cherry on the palate, it has freshness, buoyancy and real character. … Read More
Bladen Marlborough Pinot Noir 2013
Bladen Marlborough Pinot Noir 2013 $33 ★★★½ A very light coloured pinot, that has a soft raspberry and cherry lift, tannins with powdery grip in the mouth and a long, medicinally-spicy finish. If you like your pinot smooth, easy, light and juicy, then this is for you. www.bladen.co.nz
Big Sky Te Muna Road Pinot Noir 2012
Big Sky Te Muna Road Pinot Noir 2012 $40 ★★★★ Katherine Jacobs and Jeremy Corban are the couple behind this rising star Martinborough brand. The ancient Te Muna terraces provide deep, mineral-driven texture to the pinots which grown on its soils and this is no exception. A dusty, musky mouthfeel cloaks earthy cherry and cocoa … Read More
Amisfield RKV Reserve Pinot Noir 2012
Amisfield RKV Reserve Pinot Noir 2012 $120 ★★★★★ This is one of those wines that I want to get all Spinal Tap on it by saying “but this one goes up to eleven”. If I could give it eleven stars I would. RKV stands for Rocky Knoll Vineyard, the jewel in Amisfield’s crown and vineyard … Read More
Kina Cliffs Nelson Pinot Noir 2013
Kina Cliffs Nelson Pinot Noir 2013 $30 ★★★★ The instant I stuck my nose inside the glass, I was met with a whoomph of cherry-chocolate, smoked coconut, dried herb and peppery plushness. It’s been sixteen years since Julie and Alistair Ashcroft purchased their 4.5 hectare block overlooking Tasman Bay and twelve years since the vines … Read More
Big Sky ‘Provenance’ Te Muna Road Pinot Noir 2013
Big Sky ‘Provenance’ Te Muna Road Pinot Noir 2013 $54 ★★★★★ The ancient Te Muna Terraces are home to some of New Zealand’s most prestigious pinot noir vineyards. There’s something about those soils which impart such huge depth of character into the wines – so prepare yourself for masses of sweet black tea, baked cherry, fresh … Read More