Winemaker Notes
This Pinot Noir is from block with clay soil, which is planted in 2003. It shows full of charming red to dark fruits. Very charming wine to go with food.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Japanese expat Takaki is the one-man band in this small-batch label. Previously employed at the progressive biodynamic winery Clos Henri, Takaki similarly focuses on environment and transparency, which transmits through this wine. Though the wine is still young and fairly tightly wound, it’s clear the plum, dark berry, savory spice and floral notes— along with the fine, taut tannins—will evolve with time. Harmonious, poised and complex
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James Suckling
This has aromas of dried flowers, cherry stones, plums and lemons. Sleek and fresh with creamy tannins and a medium body. Floral and beeswax notes at the end. Pretty.
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.”
An icon and leading region of New Zealand's distinctive style of Sauvignon blanc, Marlborough has a unique terroir, making it ideal for high quality grape production (of many varieties). Despite some common generalizations, which could be fairly justified given that Marlborough is responsible for 90% of New Zealand's Sauvignon blanc production, the wines from this region are actually anything but homogenous. At the northern tip of New Zealand’s South Island, the vineyards of Marlborough benefit from well-draining, stony soils, a dry, sunny climate and wide temperature fluctuations between day and night, a phenomenon that supports a perfect balance between berry ripeness and acidity.
The region’s king variety, Sauvignon blanc, is beloved for its pungent, aromatic character with notes of exotic tropical fruit, freshly cut grass and green bell pepper along with a refreshing streak of stony minerality. These wines are made in a wide range of styles, and winemakers take advantage of various clones, vineyard sites, fermentation styles, lees-stirring and aging regimens to differentiate their bottlings, one from one another.
Also produced successfully here are fruit-forward Pinot noirs (especially where soils are clay-rich), elegant Riesling, Pinot gris and Gewürztraminer.