New Zealand Pinot Noir tutored tasting with Jasper Morris

A birthday present from Steph, a great evening in the company of Jasper Morris tasting some very good New Zealand Pinot Noir.

• 2010 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir

  New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough

  Earthy nose with darker fruits, a little confection on the nose, palate quite fresh with minerally crunchy fruit. The wetness on the nose got quite exaggerated when going back to it at the end of the flight.

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• 2010 Neudorf Pinot Noir Home

  New Zealand, South Island, Nelson, Moutere

  A softer nose than the Ata Rangi and a lot more definite fruit and depth, it doesn't have as much savoury flavour but is quite long with fine tannin at the end

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• 2010 Dog Point Vineyard Pinot Noir

  New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough

  This has a real Marlborough Pinot nose, maybe a little too sweet, there's full and rich fruit with plenty of vanilla and spice, a bit over the top for my tastes

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• 2009 Churton Pinot Noir

  New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough

  This smells and tastes quite savoury after the other NZ pinots, and it has a bit of finesse about it, it does taste as if its more developed than the other wines too, maybe not so good for ageing ?

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• 2008 Mountford Pinot Noir Estate

  New Zealand, South Island, Canterbury, Waipara

  From a vineyard planted by Mike Eaton apparently. Quite earthy but with good dark cherry fruit, full of flavour and a nice length, really quite good.

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• 2010 Ostler Pinot Noir Caroline's Waitaki Valley

  New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Waitaki Valley

  Quite aromatic, I though ts was quite similar in profile to the Marlborough wine, definitely a bit too sweet for me

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• 2011 Felton Road Pinot Noir Bannockburn

  New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Bannockburn

  Tis was starting to get a bit more serious, the nose was quite expressive, quite a dark fruit profile, even heading towards blackcurrant. Approachable but will improve with time

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• 2011 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 3

  New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago

  This was really intense, almost too intense, bags of everything, fruit and even tannin, very savoury and brooding, needs 3 years+ to start drinking

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• 2009 Rippon Pinot Noir Mature Vine

  New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Lake Wanaka

  Quite elegant in style, nice balance between fruit and acidity

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• 2009 Peregrine Pinot Noir

  New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago

  This is singing, earth and smoke with loads of great ripe fruit, lovely fine tannin. Nice length, lovely, my wotn

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This was a great chance to compare many well known pinots from NZ in a session, Jasper was on good form and was as informative and charming as ever.
It was surprising going back through the wines at the end of the tasting how many had more confected and sweet notes than I remembered, whether that was due to the differences in style between martin borough compared to Otago I don't know, the Marlborough wine was sweeter still.