Craggy Range Te Muna Road Pinot Noir 2011 $43 ★★★★ Sourced from one of the most spectacularly scenic vineyards in the Martinborough region comes this shiny new pinot which is already showing excellent depth of flavour for one so young. Sexy and fragrant with hints of mace, truffle, hedgerow fruits and cherry while in the … Read More
Saint Clair Premium Marlborough Pinot Noir 2011 $26 Incredibly rich, bright, vibrantly fruited with wild strawberry, cherry and exotic spices. It’s a sensational pinot for the price and boasts lovely complexity and luscious length of flavour. www.saintclair.co.nz
Neudorf Home Vineyard Moutere Pinot Noir 2010 $79 Wow! Scented with exotic baking spices, cinnamon, black guava, cocoa, rhubarb, succulent tannins and beautifully balanced acidity and lush, sexy length of flavour. A little more time in the cellar and it’ll be a showstopper for sure. www.neudorf.co.nz
Riverby Estate Marlborough Pinot Noir 2010 $28 Soft strawberry and cherry notes on the nose and in the mouth the fruit is very gentle to the point of being perhaps a touch subdued. It’s a pleasant pinot, very easy to drink and one that will be great for those new to the style, but I … Read More
Selaks Reserve Central Otago Pinot Noir 2011 $21 The latest edition to the Reserve, or Black Label range from Selaks, and it’s a pleasant drop especially for those new to pinot. Red cherry, rhubarb and upfront spicy notes on the nose are followed by very soft, almost subdued fruit and earth characters on the palate. … Read More
Bouldevines Marlborough Pinot Noir 2010 $29 Created from fruit grown on their stony, Dog Point Road vineyard, this is a wine that is super easy to drink. Plum, baking spices, hints of red cherry and rhubarb all show through and the tannins are very soft, almost in the background. A pleasant, drink-now pinot. www.bouldevines.co.nz
Weaver Estate Central Otago Pinot Noir 2009 $36 I am loving this debut pinot from this shiny-new, Alexandra-based family estate. It is intensely perfumed with cherry, boysenberry, violet, black tea and sandalwood. Silky and slippery in the mouth, it has delicious, spicy warmth, superb depth and delicious length of flavour. While there’s a good few … Read More
Stoneleigh Latitude Pinot Noir 2009 $34 Spending eight months in French oak barrels (a third of them new) has produced a wine chock-full of youthful fruit sweetness combined with spicy layers of plum, cherry and toast. It’s bright, vibrant and very drinkable, although I’m not sure how this wine will do in the cellar so … Read More
I loved the Mount Beautiful 2009 Pinot Noir ($29) with its aromas of black tea, rosemary, cherry and earthy leaf-litter. Lush, silky and fresh in the mouth, it is absolutely stunning stuff.
Fancrest Estate 2010 Di’s Pinot Noir ($42) is deeply coloured and perfumed with black tea, and savoury, earthy notes which carry through to the palate. The tannins have definite grip, and the fruit is ripe and robust enough to indicate great potential in the cellar. www.fancrest.com