Winemaker Notes
At this youthful stage, it's tight, somewhat closed and dark - this dark inky note could be the smell of old vines? The palate definitely follows through, with deep, rich mocha infused tannins and the trademark length. It rides on top of that wave of indulgent phenolics, the pure dark berry freshness of Block 3 dances precariously, like a surfer clinging on before being inevitably overwhelmed. As this vineyard matures, it learns not to shout, but that does nothing to steal from its authority.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2024 Block 3 Pinot Noir is aromatic, juicy, fine and layered with savory/spicy tannins and dark black fruit. There are notes of black cherry, dark chocolate, raspberry seed, licorice, new leather, blood orange and coffee grounds. I like the lacy finesse of this wine, partnered as it is with the powerfully driven 2024 fruit. This is excellent. 13.9% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
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Vinous
Intense, powerful and fruit-driven, the 2024 Pinot Noir Block 3 offers brawn and brain. It's ripe but maintains restraint, tension and focus. A flush of acidity presents a highly refreshing contrast to the ripe fruit. Expect classic Central Otago black cherry flavours, with background notes of cedar and spice from barrel maturation.
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.