Bendigo Hills Organic Central Otago Pinot Rosé 2022 $22 When you taste how delicate this morganite-hued wine is, it won’t surprise you to learn that the certified organic pinot noir it’s made from was hand-picked and gently whole-bunch pressed and cleverly made into a soft, dry style evocative of pink peppercorn and redcurrant characters. Cleansing, … Read More
Pinot Noir
Bendigo Hills Organic Central Otago Pinot Noir 2021
Bendigo Hills Organic Central Otago Pinot Noir 2021 $29 Crafted using gentle, biodynamic principles, this handpicked pinot was grown on the sun-baked, North-facing slopes of Bendigo and given a calm ferment in 4-tonne oak cuve’s with a 3-week post-ferment soak on its skins before being gently pressed, aged for 10 months then gently bottled. Winemakers … Read More
Jackson Estate Vintage Widow Marlborough Pinot Noir 2019
Jackson Estate Vintage Widow Marlborough Pinot Noir 2019 $40 Paired with: Annabel Langbein’s Shiitake Soba Noodles in the NZ Herald Canvas July 1 2023 This dish is very green and crunchy with all that broccoli, cucumber and coriander, and you’re possibly wondering why I’m recommending a red wine to go with it. Well, I’ll tell … Read More
Mt Difficulty Ghost Town Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017
Mt Difficulty Ghost Town Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017 $55-$60 Ghost Town is one of Mt D’s Single Vineyard series, showcasing fruit sourced from a vineyard the Dicey family planted back in 2002. It’s located on Chinaman’s Terrace in Central Otago’s Bendigo sub-region, and after six years of quiet, sleepy time in the bottle it’s … Read More
Mora Central Otago Pinot Noir 2022
Mora Central Otago Pinot Noir 2022 $50 Mora Wines is the latest wine venture for the Skeggs Group, which also produces the RUA brand – and the name ‘Mora’ means to linger or to take pause in Latin (which is a nice thought when you’re stopping to sip something lovely) Crafted from fruit grown in … Read More
Main Divide Te Hau Reserve North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2021
Main Divide Te Hau Reserve North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2021 $30 Named after Henry Te Hau Tapu Nui o Tu Donaldson, grandfather of the current Donaldson family, pioneers of North Canterbury winegrowing and makers of Pegasus Bay and Main Divide, this pinot is smooth, soothing, saturated with earthy spices, cherry, redcurrant and black tea notes … Read More
Two Rivers Brookby Hill Marlborough Pinot Noir 2020
Two Rivers Brookby Hill Marlborough Pinot Noir 2020 $55 Organically grown in the deep clay soils of the Southern Valleys, this pinot was wild-fermented (up to 25% whole bunch) then aged for between 12 and 18 months in French oak before being bottled unfined and unfiltered (hence the slight cloudiness) and given a further year … Read More
Carrick Central Otago Arthur’s Vineyard Organic Pinot Noir 2021
Carrick Central Otago Arthur’s Vineyard Organic Pinot Noir 2021 $80 This single-block, single clone wine is named for the couple who established this Bannockburn vineyard, Sue and Bill Arthur “The 2021 Arthur’s is the inaugural release of this wine, having always stood out as a unique and interesting portion of the Bannockburn Estate blend, we … Read More
Folding Hill Orchard Block Central Otago Pinot Noir 2020
Folding Hill Orchard Block Central Otago Pinot Noir 2020 $45 It’s been a long time between Orchard Block pinots with the last one being back in 2017! The western boundary of this, (the most sheltered part of the vineyard), is an orchard of cider apple trees and the handpicked fruit is fermented in a small … Read More
Grasshopper Rock Earnscleugh Vineyard Pinot Noir 2013 & 2019
It was a real treat to taste a mini-vertical of a pinot noir that I’ve been a fan of for many years. Phil Handford from Grasshopper Rock sent me a bottle each of his 2013 and 2019 for comparison (and fun) and it was super interesting seeing how an extra six years vine age, tiny … Read More