| | Sit down tasting at Peter's place with wines from Tasmania, North Island and South Kiwiland. Bracket one - Tasmania, Australia Only the Moorilla really worked for me... - 2010 Barringwood Park Pinot Noir Mill Block - Australia, Tasmania, Northern Tasmania
Colour: Pale, Ruby, slow tears, slightly dull
Nose: Clean, developing, medium minus intensity, earth, redcurrant and berry, sweet spice – slight nutmeg, toast, savoury/stalkiness
Mouth: Medium acid, medium minus body, medium flavour intensity, medium plus alcohol, medium minus tannin that is fine and talcy. Dry. Bitter leather, earth, redcurrant, medium plus length, alcoholic warmth and spice joins on the finish
Meh. Needs time.
- 2009 Pipers Brook Vineyard Pinot Noir Estate - Australia, Tasmania
Colour: Bright Ruby with a garnet rim, rapid tears
Nose: Clean, developing, medium minus intensity, sour cherry and plum – sweet spice, slight mint, cedar wood and slight balsamic
Mouth: Medium plus acid, medium body, medium plus flavour intensity, medium alcohol, medium minus tannins that is slightly course and dry. Juicy but sour plum, slight seaside tang, sweet spice, medium length.
Lots going on but a little too sour for me
- 2010 Josef Chromy Pinot Noir - Australia, Tasmania, Northern Tasmania
Colour: Ruby, medium intensity, bright, rapid tears
Nose: clean, developing, medium intensity, rubber red plum, leather, slight spice, slight farmyard funk, slight vanilla and cream and toast
Mouth: Medium plus acid, medium body, medium plus flavour intensity, medium alcohol, medium tannin that is grippy and course. Dry. Red plum and cherry, cream, slight leather and finishes bitter.
Out of balance
- 2010 Freycinet Vineyard Pinot Noir - Australia, Tasmania, Freycinet Coast
Colour: ruby, medium intensity, clear, slow tears
Nose: clean, developing, medium intensity, vanilla, jammy red berry and cherry, leather, dusty cedar, slight clove and slight mushroom notes
Mouth: medium plus acid, medium plus body, medium plus flavour intensity, medium plus tannin – lots of front of mouth phenolic grip that is savoury. Juicy red fruit that gives way to bitterness, savoury spice and rather generous alcohol.
A bit too much for me at this juncture.
- 2010 Moorilla Pinot Noir Muse - Australia, Tasmania
Colour: Pale Ruby, slow and plentiful tearing, bright
Nose: medium minus intensity, clean and youthful, candy floss, leather, slight spice and red berry – raspberry – vanilla and cream.
Mouth: medium acid, medium body, medium flavour intensity, medium minus tannin, slight front of mouth – nice, silky and supple. Dry. Red berry, cedar, savoury meaty, slight spice and mint notes
Very good and enjoyable.
Bracket 2 – Wairarapa, New Zealand The best bracket for me, the last three were particularly enjoyable. - 2010 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir - New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
Nose: medium intensity, clean, developing, leather red berry – raspberry, slight sour cherry, oak sweet vanilla, biscuit, toast
Mouth: medium plus alcohol, medium body, medium flavour intensity, medium plus alcohol – almost hot which creates the illusion of residual sugar on the dry wine. Medium tannin that is grippy and chalky. Raspberry, sweet spice: nutmeg and clove, oak. Long finishes carries alcohol
Nice but that alcohol is just a bit out of whack with the rest of the wine
- 2010 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir - New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
Colour: medium clear, rim fade ruby wine with slight legs
Nose: medium minus intensity, clean, developing wine with notes of red berry, raspberry, spice, oak and cedar
Mouth: medium acidity, medium body, medium flavour intensity, medium plus alcohol that is generous. Slight red berry that starts sour then sweetens nutmeg and clove and savoury spice and white pepper, medium plus tannin that are slightly course and chalky, the wine is dry and finishes bitter.
Out of balance and feels like that it needs more time
- 2010 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Single Vineyard Te Muna Road Vineyard - New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
Colour: medium intensity ruby, rim fade, medium legs,
Nose: medium intensity, clean developing, farmyard funk, spice - nutmeg, leather, massive compote raspberry. Notes of rubber.
Mouth medium acid, medium body, medium flavour intensity, medium alcohol, medium tannin, grippy. Dry. Red berry, leather, sweet spice that carries on medium plus finish.
Well balanced and good. Nice.
- 2009 Gladstone Vineyard Pinot Noir - New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa
Colour: Pale, ruby, clear, slight legs
Nose; medium minus intensity, clean developing, cedar wood, leather, rubber, then perfumed notes, toast, farmyard funk, strawberry and raspberry notes
Mouth: medium acid, medium plus body, medium flavour intensity, medium plus tannin that is grippy and tight, chalky. Dry. Raspberry, earth, sweet spice – nutmeg, leather, cedar, very slightly bitter on the long finish
Very good, great fruit profile, elegant and, other than some slightly forward oakiness, very well balanced.
- 2009 Schubert Pinot Noir Block B - New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa
Colour: Pale ruby with garnet rim face, slight legs
Nose: medium minus intensity, clean, developing. Strawberry, perfumed and slightly floral notes, toast and a slight cheesiness
Mouth: medium acid, medium plus body, medium flavour intensity, medium tannin, dry, medium minus alcohol. Raspberry, prevalence of lees in the mouth feel and chewy tannin. Creamy and slight sweet spice
Very good but, perhaps, a touch simplistic
Bracket 3 - Central Otago, New Zealand Bit of a mixed bag... - 2011 Felton Road Pinot Noir Bannockburn - New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Bannockburn
Colour: medium ruby, clear, slight legs
Nose: medium minus intensity, youthful, very muted, slight perfume, earth, mineral, slight red cherry and herbal notes
Mouth: medium plus acidity, medium body, medium plus favour intensity, medium minus tannin, medium plus alcohol that is warming, dry. Juicy black berry, cedar, sweet spice, cream, finish long, warm and herbal.
Good. Needs time though.
- 2010 Quartz Reef Pinot Noir Bendigo Estate - New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago Bendigo
Colour: medium ruby, bright, slight legs,
Nose: medium minus intensity, clean developing, cedar, leather earth, concentrated red berry and herbal notes
Mouth: medium acidity, medium plus body, medium flavour intensity, medium plus tannin that is too intrusive, medium plus alcohol that is quite hot. Jammy red and black fruit, cedar, spice, long finish
Too much weight – Pinot on roids
- 2009 Mount Edward Pinot Noir - New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
Colour medium ruby, clear, medium legs
Nose: medium minus intensity, clear, developing yoghurt, red fruit, earth, toast, cheese, cream, leather, savoury, grassy notes
Mouth: medium acid, medium plus body, medium flavour intensity, medium tanning that is talcy and smooth, dry. Medium alcohol. Red berry, sweet spice, nutmeg, cinnamon, medium length
Very good – balanced and complex but lacks length
- 2009 Two Paddocks Pinot Noir - New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
Colour: Pale, ruby, clear, legs
Nose: medium intensity, clean, developing, slight farm yard funk, black fruit with notes of beetroot, rubbery, leather, toast, sweet, spice.
Mouth: medium plus acid, medium body, medium flavour intensity, medium in minus tannin that is supply and silky, medium alcohol. Dry. Blackberry fruit, sweet spice – cloves and cinnamon, cedar and a medium plus length
Nice, well balanced
- 2009 Rippon Pinot Noir Mature Vine - New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Lake Wanaka
Colour: pale, ruby, clean legs
Nose: medium minus intensity, clean, youthful, black fruit, cream, biscuit, cheese, sweet spice, cedar, vanilla
Mouth: medium plus acidity, medium body, medium flavour intensity, medium tannin, front of mouth grip and silky. Juicy black berry fruit, spice, cedar, oak and slightly bitter on the long finish
Good but built to last – will the oak calm down before the fruit dissipates…
Very interesting tasting. Wairapa, especially the Gladstone and Schuberts, were very elegant and quite surprising. The Tasmanian stuff didn't really work for me and there were a few examples of Pinot Noir done as New World Cab Sav...long hang times, plenty of oak which didn't really work for me on this occasion. |
