Winemaker Notes
The nose contains all the characteristic array of complex aromatic notes we have come to expect from Block 3: exotic spice, dried herb, leather and deep, dark fruit. The first sip is captivating: how can a wine with such power and concentration be so enthralling yet ethereal? Further study is definitely required. It’s about balance and harmony, finesse and detail. The tannins are copious and muscular, but their chocolate coating tempers the decadence of the fruit. Wow!
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A perfumed nose of sour cherries, wild strawberries, cranberries, dried flowers, orange rind and baking spices. Medium-to full-bodied with bright acidity and fine tannins. Layered and harmonious, with a velvety texture and vibrant, lively character on the palate. Pure and flavorful, long finish. Very long.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Block 3 Pinot Noir shows a succulent mid-palate of fruit: raspberry seed and cranberry, cherry and brine. This is a seductive wine of floral perfume and woodsy spice, one that is still so primary it is difficult to see where it will go in the future. As it is evolving so slowly, one imagines that its future is very bright—and very long. This is totally lovely. 14% alcohol.
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.