Te Kano Estate Central Otago Blanc de Noir 2022 $30 Te Kano’ is Māori for ‘seed,’ and their winemaking team have definitely planted something pretty thrilling onto my tastebuds. Crafted from 100% pinot noir from their two certified organic vineyards, (clay-based Eliza and sandy-soiled Jerome) carefully, gently, whole-bunch pressed to avoid too much of their … Read More
Pinot Noir
Black Quail Central Otago Pinot Noir 2020
Black Quail Central Otago Pinot Noir 2020 $55 Made by the scarily talented Jen Parr from an 8-ha block of fruit grown by the Keillor family in Bannockburn, this new release pinot bursts with whipcrack freshness and personality. Crammed with black cherry, blueberry, rhubarb and rooibos tea leaf tones, it’s a lush, deliciously structured thing … Read More
McArthur Ridge McArthur Grand Reserve Central Otago Pinot Noir 2020
McArthur Ridge McArthur Grand Reserve Central Otago Pinot Noir 2020 $80 Clearly the stars were aligned and the gods were appeased above Alexandra in 2020 because viticulturist Murray Petrie was able to grow some very happy, satisfied grapes, fat with flavour that winemaker Matt Connell was able to wave his wizarding wand across and fashion … Read More
Colere Ashmore Vineyard Marlborough Pinot Noir 2020
Colere Ashmore Vineyard Marlborough Pinot Noir 2020 $65 Cloudy as it pours due to it being crafted unfined and unfiltered, this pinot noir by Julian Richards is grown in the Ashmore Vineyard at Dog Point, first planted in ancient soils at the confluence of the Brancott and Omaka valleys back in the late 1970s , … Read More
Weekend Wines Gone Rogue Central Otago Pinot Noir 2022
Weekend Wines Gone Rogue Central Otago Pinot Noir 2022 $36 Introducing a deliciously crisp, fresh pinot noir from the kids at the Central Otago Wine Company in Cromwell. Lifted and youthful and bright, it’s edged with early-season cherry, baked beetroot, blueberry and rhubarb flavours wrapped around a core of juicy acidity and earthy tannins. … Read More
Ballasalla Central Otago Pinot Noir 2021
Ballasalla Central Otago Pinot Noir 2021 $32 Crafted by the team at Folding Hill, this is the new release of one of my favourite Central Otago pinot’s. I’m loving the whoomph of potpourri aromatics in every sniff of this wine, exotic florals and smoked berries merge with softly spiky tannins, and red cherry and raspberry … Read More
Forrest Marlborough Pinot Noir 2020
Forrest Marlborough Pinot Noir 2020 $35 Bursting with bold hedgerow spices, japonica, wild cherry and berry notes, savoury, earthy layers and clean, refreshing textures, this is a youthful, spicy wine with chewy tannins and a big future ahead of it. Gamey complexity adds to its interest and length of flavour. Forrest
Monowai Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir Rosé 2022
Monowai Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir Rosé 2022 $24.99 Sometimes I make myself do a personal SWOT analysis, and it’s never pleasant. The main reason I force myself through this excruciating exercise is so I can reward-slash-console myself at its conclusion with something delicious made by Emma Lowe at Monowai. Her new rosé brings the grins … Read More
Astrolabe Comely Bank Marlborough Pinot Noir 2020
Astrolabe Comely Bank Vineyard, Waihopai Valley Pinot Noir 2020 $44 Plush, lithe and lengthy. These are hallmarks of the pinot noir which comes off Jeff and Vanessa Hammond’s Comelybank site near the confluence of the Waihopai and Wairau Rivers, where the Southern Valleys meet. Its handpicked fruit is wild-fermented, hand-plunged, and oak-matured to create an … Read More
Akitu A1 Central Otago Pinot Noir 2020
Akitu A1 Central Otago Pinot Noir 2020 $65 Translated, Akitu means the summit, the apex or the highest point in te reo Māori. Andrew Donaldson called his wine that because at 380 metres above sea level, Akitu was right up there, nudging against the alps, growing in the southernmost winemaking region on earth. Andrew’s grandad … Read More