Winemaker Notes
Dark blackberry, wild herb, spice and intrigue aromatically. The wine then moves into a dense richly textured mouthfeel. Elegance, finesse abound holding the wine into a tightly knit package whilst will drink superbly in its youth will also reward those who choose to cellar the wine.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Flinty reduction and gentle smoke appear briefly before that fulsome Central Otago fruit takes over: think ripe red cherry edged with hints of ivy. The palate has the same juiciness but also a crunchy, graceful but firm tannin structure along with shimmering nuances of white pepper spice. This is made to last the distance, so buy some, cellar it and wait two or three years.”
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James Suckling
Aromas of suede, dried rose, hibiscus and sliced strawberries. Medium-bodied with finely knit tannins. Bright acidity and fresh floral character on the palate with an array of red berries. Blue fruit, too. Juicy finish. I like the tension here. From organically grown grapes. Drink now
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Wine Enthusiast
This vintage of proprietor Sam Neill’s four-vineyard barrel blend of Pinot is made for the long haul. Densely packed aromas of mushroom, tree bark, blood plum, currants and oodles of earthy spice lead to a sumptuous palate wound in taut, textural tannins. Quite austere at the moment, this is a wine to squirrel away for now, then watch it sparkle.
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Wine Spectator
Features fresh raspberry, cranberry and dried cherry flavors that are juicy, focused and intense, with pretty details of sage, white pepper and matcha on the supple frame. On the finish, the tannins firm up in an appealing way.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Pinot Noir leads with strawberries and flowers, cherry and a hint of pastrami. Ditto for the palate. This is not as complex as some of the single-vineyard wines, but it is pleasurable, balanced and red-fruited. It’s good, and there’s plenty to enjoy here. 13% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
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.