Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
A nice evolution is in play. This wine is gathering power and finesse simultaneously, becoming more and more defined. Super fragrant strawberry and red cherry fruits on the nose with some meaty, spicy elements adding interest. The palate is lacy and enticing, with a core of vibrant strawberry and red cherry flavor. Fne tannins sweep long and even. A wine that delivers both pleasure and a sense of purpose. Drink now.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The medium to full-bodied 2015 Burn Cottage Vineyard Pinot Noir offers up aromas of roses, ripe cherries, crushed stone and subtle hints of pencil shavings. Despite 31% whole clusters and 19% new oak, neither is readily apparent on the nose at this stage. On the palate, there's a sense of restrained fruit coupled with wiry, herbal, tea-like nuances that add complexity and texture, extending through a long, silky finish. This remarkable property remains at the forefront of Central Otago Pinot Noir producers.
-
Decanter
Beautifully made Pinot which manages to blend richness and ripeness of fruit, with elegance and finesse from a structure driven by well-used, ripe tannins and a spicy finish. Some sappy elements, but worth ageing. Drinking Window 2018 - 2024
-
Wine Spectator
Elegant and lithe, with peppery accents and an Earl Grey tea note to complement the core of juicy cherry and berry flavors, lingering on a toasted herb accent. Drink now through 2028.
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.”
Home to the globe’s most southerly vineyards, which are cultivated below the 45th parallel, Central Otago is a true one-of-a-kind wine growing region, but not only because of its extreme location.
Central Otago is more dependent on one single variety than any other region in New Zealand—and it isn’t Sauvignon blanc. They don’t even make Sauvignon blanc there.
Pinot Noir claims nearly 75% of the region’s vineyards with Pinot Gris coming in a far second place and Riesling behind it. This is also New Zealand’s only wine region with a continental climate, giving it more diurnal and seasonal temperature shifts than any other.
The subregion of Bannockburn has enjoyed the most success historically but the area’s exceptional growth has moved to the promising regions of Cromwell/Bendigo and Alexandra districts. Central Otago is known for its fruity and full-bodied Pinot noir. With the freedom to experiment here, growers and winemakers are easily exhibiting the area’s great potential.