Surveyor Thomson Pinot Noir 2004
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Bouquet: Redcurrant, bramble, thyme and spicy aromatics
Palate: The wine has a fresh cherry flavor typical of Central Otago, with elegance and finesse. Savory (mushroom, earthy) and red fruit characters are foremost on the palate. Well-structured and balanced, it has pronounced mid-palate weight and excellent mouthfeel.
The vineyard, near Cromwell, is owned and managed by David Hall-Jones and his wife Pui Mun Chan. The pair share an absolute commitment to quality. From vineyard planting to management, to winemaking style and barrel selection, everything is aimed at making this one wine - the final result of which is evident in every bottle of Surveyor Thomson produced.
David is a direct descendant of John Turnbull Thomson, explorer and New Zealand's first Surveyor General, in whose honor David and Pui Mun's wines are named. David is proud to acknowledge and celebrate the work of Mr. Surveyor Thomson (as he was widely known) through the family's vineyard enterprise - particularly because the humble Thomson never saw fit to attach his own name to any landmark.
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.