Escarpment Pahi Pinot Noir 2014
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James
Suckling -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine
Spectator
Product Details
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Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
The clear and swirling whole-bunch aromatics here are really charming and bursting with attractive and complex pinot perfumes such as rose petals, sweet spices and bright red-tinged berry fruits. The palate has handy definition, light and shade, powerful yet reserved detail and long tannins that run in unison through a very focused, juicy and punchy crisp finish. I love this wine for its elegance and power; it's great pinot at its finest. Best from 2018.
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Wine Enthusiast
Plummy yet cool, with a greenish, floral note that adds lift and interest to the dark-fruit aromas and flavors. This is a bit austere and dusty, but long on the finish, so drink 2018–2030.
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Wine Spectator
Juicy and vibrant, with cherry, raspberry and pomegranate flavors and an earthy, firm edge. Features aromatic accents of dried lavender, nutmeg and fresh tomato leaf. Drink now through 2026.
Other Vintages
2015-
James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator
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James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast
Escarpment Vineyard was established in 1999 as a joint business venture between Robert & Mem Kirby (of Australia's Village Roadshow) and Larry & Sue McKenna. Collectively, these four directors bring to Escarpment a world of experience, skill and understanding to the nurturing and making of fine, deliciously sublime wine. It goes without saying the impetus behind establishing this vineyard came from the four's deep love for Pinot Noir. Meeting by chance in 1999 through Dr Richard Smith, Larry and Robert quickly hit it off and realised they had more than a love for the grape in common. Serious talk about establishing a definitive New World vineyard began in earnest even then and the 'idea whose time has come' has resulted in one of the most significant vineyard developments in the New Zealand district of Martinborough. Escarpment is accredited with Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand, an industry initiative directed through New Zealand Winegrowers. With a growing trade and consumer demand for environmentally friendly products, it provides an important platform to promote the New Zealand wine industry as a world leader in clean, green wine production.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Part of the Wairarapa region in the southern end of the country’s North Island, Martinborough is a bucolic appellation full of artisan, lifestyle wine producers. Above all else, their goals are to tend vineyards for low yields and create wines of supreme quality. Pinot noir is the main grape variety here, occupying over half of the land under vine.
Comparing topography, climate and soils, the region is nearly identical to Marlborough except that it produces top quality reds on the regular.