Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
An attractive and fresh, red-cherry and brambly, herbal nuance here with a toasty-oak layer that also adds chocolate to the mix. The palate is fresh with a soft, choc-berry finish.
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Wine Spectator
Elegant, seamless, bright and fresh, with raspberry, cherry and cranberry flavors, set on a sleek, smooth frame. Offers a crisp finish and details of dried rose petal and white pepper.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Mt. Beautiful Pinot Noir is a charming example of the grape variety. TASTING NOTES: This wine exhibits alluring aromas and flavors of dried earth, savory spices, and red fruit. Enjoy it with grilled salmon fillets. (Tasted: June 7, 2021, San Francisco, CA)
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.”
On the central eastern coast of the South Island, Canterbury includes a collection of small and varied subregions. The region is cool and dry with low rainfall and light, infertile soils. Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir are well-suited here, with Pinot Gris coming in third place.