New Zealand Trip
Tasted Saturday, February 10, 2024 - Saturday, February 24, 2024 by drwine2001 with 160 views
Introduction
This is a chronological recap of wines we had during our travels around this amazing country. There were dedicated tastings at the following properties, and these notes are clustered together but not separated from other impressions of individual wines that we drank during meals, etc.
Wineries visited:
Awaroa (Waiheke)
Poderi Cresci (Waiheke)
Valli (Central Otago)
Felton Road (Central Otago)
Burn Cottage (Central Otago)
Dog Point (Marlborough)
Fromm (Marlborough)
Escarpment (Martinborough)
Ata Rangi (Martinborough)
2023 Awaroa Vineyards Rosé Waiheke Road
New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
(2/10/2024)
Light salmon skin color. Herbal aromas. Medium bodied, excellent acidity, lemony dark fruit. Provençale impression despite being made from Merlot. Bright and very good.
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2022 Awaroa Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve Waiheke Road
New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
(2/10/2024)
Hawkes Bay fruit. Medium weight. Fragrant herb, wood, citrus, and tropical fruit. Medium weight, pronounced oak foundation, some lactic butteriness but little fruit shines through. Heavy handed and dull.
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2022 Awaroa Vineyards Cabernet Franc
New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
(2/10/2024)
First vintage of this. 86% Cab Franc, the rest Malbec and Merlot. Ruby. Dominant bell pepper nose-very varietal. Given the aromatic greenness, surprisingly ripe blueberry fruit, good volume, and sound acidity. The finish is herbal, shows light tannins, and is marred by alcoholic heat. Better in the mouth than the nose suggested.
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2021 Awaroa Vineyards Syrah Single Vineyard
New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
(2/10/2024)
Deep ruby. Bursting with blueberry and herbs on the nose, but served too warm and the alcohol also showed. Medium+ body. Reasonably ripe dark fruit and earth through the mid-palate, but finishes harsh and hot. Poorly integrated and clumsy, but the winery did not do itself any favors by not cooling the bottle on a very warm day.
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2021 Awaroa Vineyards Melba Peach
New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
(2/10/2024)
Some Viognier in this cuvée. Ruby. Floral, lavender aromas that are very Northern Rhône in style. Medium weight. Quite fluid and complex compared to the Single Vineyard Syrah. Very good soil and acidity followed by drying tannins. Much more harmonious than the first Syrah and it has some degree of elegance. Best of the 5 wines we tried here.
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2023 Neudorf Albariño Moutere
New Zealand, South Island, Nelson, Moutere
(2/10/2024)
Light yellow. Light green herb and citrus. Medium weight, a touch of wood, crisp lemony fruit, but lacking in intensity and interest.
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2022 Big Sky Wines Pinot Noir
New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
(2/10/2024)
Dull red. Strawberry and moderate stemmy aromas. Lighter weight, delicate feel. Tart red berry fruit, fairly mineral, licorice, and gentle tannins. Very good Côte de Beaune style wine for the short to intermediate term.
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2020 Burn Cottage Pinot Noir Burn Cottage Vineyard
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
(2/10/2024)
Ruby almost to the rim. Enticing combination of smoke and black cherry on the nose with a little wood spice as well. Medium weight, attractive saline/soil core. Savory, fresh dark fruit supported by excellent acidity and light tannins. Balanced, long, and sappy. Impressive and I may well have guessed Premier Cru Côte de Nuits had I been presented with it blind.
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2018 Burn Cottage Riesling/Gruner Veltliner
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
(2/11/2024)
Yellow. Unfolding aromas of herb, apple, jasmine, and honeysuckle. Medium weight, pleasing glycerine texture, again some green herb, subdued fruit, lowish acidity, and lots of soil. Interesting wine for sure with a lot going on, fairly concentrated but lacking a little oomph- maybe tired at this point?
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2022 Poderi Crisci Pinot Grigio Zefiro
New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
(2/11/2024)
Pale. Lightly effervescent. Light herbal/lemon mix. Dry and fairly mineral. Good and in the style of Prosecco.
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2022 Poderi Crisci Merlot
New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
(2/11/2024)
Very pale. Floral, gently herbal aromas. Light body, a bit of flesh, dry dark fruit. Pleasant quaffer.
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2021 Poderi Crisci Arneis
New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
(2/11/2024)
Clear light yellow. Floral farly tropical fruit. Medium to light weight. More lemony than the nose makes you think. Interesting flavors but quickly fades to a non-existent finish.
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2021 Poderi Crisci Chardonnay
New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
(2/11/2024)
Pale color. Lime. Medium to light weight, some glycerine, and a woody base. Rather delicate feel, not buttery at all. Citrus fruit, only average mid-palate intensity, lingering soil finish. Very good overall and not without interest.
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2018 Poderi Crisci Syrah
New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
(2/11/2024)
Pale red. Fragrant green tones and violets. Medium to lighter weight. Discretely ripe entry followed by soil and earthy tannins. Some bitterness and dark chocolate on the finish. An odd duck. In its favor, both aromatic and flavor complexity, but this seemed so unlike Syrah in color and its anemic palate presence. My friends were much more positive about it.
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2016 Poderi Crisci Viburno
New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
(2/11/2024)
Mostly Merlot with some Montepulciano and Cabernet Franc. Dull medium red. High toned wintergreen. Light to medium body. Subdued fruit, lots of soil, excellent acidity, and a dry, lightly tannic finish. Modestly interesting.
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2015 Poderi Crisci Merlot Riserva
New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
(2/11/2024)
Light ruby. Herb and dill on the nose. Nice medium weight, very good, seamless feel. Finishes with proper amount of acidity and earthy tannins. The best red by a mile, and this despite my general dislike of Merlot. It could get better with several more years in bottle.
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2019 Poderi Crisci Montepulciano
New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
(2/11/2024)
Ruby. Savory tobacco tones and a hint of prune overripeness. Medium+ weight. Ripe attack which transitions to an earthy, tart, tannic finish. Very Italianate in its own way. Unfortunately, after the entry, it disintegrates in the glass.
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2023 Man O' War Vineyards Pinque
New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
(2/11/2024)
Faint blush of pink (or pinque, I guess). Clean, just off dry green herb and melon. Insipid.
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2013 Valli Pinot Noir Gibbston Vineyard
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
(2/11/2024)
Fading red with a touch of brown. Very forward stem and menthol with strawberry behind it. Lovely medium to light weight, tarry berry fruit upfront with charred oak and terrific sappy texture. The finish is brambly, a bit harsh, and stands out from the rest of the wine. I’m of mixed mind here; while it seems more advanced in some respects, the fruit really sings, and there is still quite a bit of structure to resolve.
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2013 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir
New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
(2/11/2024)
Light primary ruby, certainly younger looking than the Valli. Some fennel and menthol aromas but not as aggressively stemmy as the prior wine. Medium weight, light wood underneath, excellent sense of roundness and harmony. Ripe dark red and black fruit, anise, uplifting citrus peel, moderate tannins, and a serious soil-inflected finish. Outstanding wine with the balance to age well for another decade, I’d imagine.
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2019 Man O' War Vineyards Syrah Dreadnought
New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
(2/11/2024)
Deep ruby. Beautiful violet and blueberry aromatics with light green tones behind them. Full bodied. Good sweetness, quite chocolaty and roundly tannic, good back end earth. Okay, perhaps this is a little simple and overly polished at this point, but it has excellent material and is very enjoyable.
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2019 Kennedy Point Syrah Reserve
New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
(2/11/2024)
Saturated purple. Some oak on the nose with nice dark florals and mint-this really smells like Syrah! Discretely oaky base, spicy, rich blue fruit, bright acidity, and harmonious round feel. The finish frames it with youthful drier tannins. The best Syrah tonight, outstanding potential. After having been open for a couple of hours, it turned out to be corked, which I hadn’t detected at all, so it’s possible that the wine is even better than it showed.
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2019 Awaroa Vineyards Melba Peach
New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
(2/11/2024)
Medium ruby with fading. Bright aromas of subtle fruit, soil, and gentle green tines. Elegant medium weight, very good flow across the palate. Soil and tart red fruit, fairly tannic but very good length. Well done like the 2021 we tasted yesterday but behind the Kennedy Point in rondeur and mid-palate richness.
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2020 Pyramid Valley Chardonnay Springs North Canterbury
New Zealand, South Island, Canterbury, North Canterbury
(2/12/2024)
Coravin. Toasty, buttery nose. Rich caramel and apple, very good acidity, and a huge dose of oak. Good length but the barrel treatment is excessive.
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2020 Prophets Rock Chardonnay Cuvée Aux Antipodes Blanc
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago Bendigo
(2/12/2024)
Coravin. Burgundian nose-toasty and lactic. Rich citrus, moderate wood, fruit downplayed, excellent length. How you view this will depend upon your tolerance of wood, but it clearly has a lot to it.
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2021 Amisfield Pinot Noir Breakneck Reserve
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
(2/12/2024)
Coravin. Light ruby. Strong reductive funk, green herb, and soil. Light to medium weight, restrained earthy black and blue fruit, real salinity, a bit of char, average acidity, and soft tannins. Unfortunately, the reduction gives a hardness to the finish. This was one of the most interesting Pinots we’ve tasted here thus far. It has a distinctly understated Old World style and has the potential for brilliance with more aging, but only if the sulfur releases its iron fisted grip on the wine.
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2019 Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir Prima Donna
New Zealand, South Island, Canterbury, Waipara
(2/12/2024)
Light ruby. Oak and sweet cherry on the nose. Ripe, round, and concentrated, but the finish is tangy, citric, and chocolaty. Young and very promising in a bigger fleshy style.
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2022 Gibbston Valley Pinot Noir Glenlee Vineyard
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
(2/12/2024)
Medium ruby. Much more savory style than the Pegasus Bay- soil and whole cluster aromas. Excellent complexity with a burst of ripe fruit on the attack followed by a stricter, drier finish. This too should be really good given 5+ years of aging.
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2022 Valli Pinot Gris Waitaki
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
(2/13/2024)
Light yellow. Apple, slightly aromatic. Medium weight and nicely glycerine, sort of mid-way between the oiliness of Alsatian Pinot Gris and the light crispness of Italian Pinot Grigio. A bundle of orchard fruit flavors, just off dry, fine acidity, and good bright closing minerality. Refreshing start to the tasting here and more than I expected.
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2022 Valli Riesling Waitaki Vineyard
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, North Otago
(2/13/2024)
Light color. Floral and pear aromas. Off dry citrus flavor, medium intensity through the mid-palate, and terrific acidity and limestone finish. The structure hides its 20 grams of residual sugar very well. This would make a delightful, zesty summertime white.
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2022 Valli Pinot Noir Gibbston Vineyard
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
(2/13/2024)
Red. Cranberry and floral tones. Light to medium weight. Tart black fruit, great acidity, no wood showing, good soil running through, and low tannins. Lean, focused, pure, and already very interesting with late herb and citrus appearing before a properly dry finish. Accessible early but balanced to age gracefully. Really finely rendered and my favorite of the 4 Pinots we tasted.
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2022 Valli Pinot Noir Bannockburn Vineyard
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
(2/13/2024)
Clear light red. More blueberry on the nose along with very nice florality and anise. Light to medium bodied with a lovely long soil base. Subtle brambly blue fruit, lower acidity than the Gibbston, but a penetrating, dry finish with whole cluster signature that will take 3-5 years to resolve. Excellent potential but behind the first wine in harmony and mid-palate depth.
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2022 Valli Pinot Noir Bendigo Vineyard
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago Bendigo
(2/13/2024)
Deeper red/light ruby. Quite fragrant, serious black fruit aromas with a touch of oak. Medium+ weight, gently sappy attack. Combination of blue and black fruit atop a fine soil base, complicating green herbs, acidity that is not as strong as the Gibbston’s, and generous, chocolaty tannins. Plenty of wine here but relatively less complex than the first 2 Pinots. Like all of these wines, though, it is restrained and shows impressive elegance for its degree of concentration.
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2022 Valli Pinot Noir Waitaki Vineyard
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, North Otago
(2/13/2024)
Pale-looks like Gamay or a deep rosé. Much more green on the nose than any of the other wines. Light, stony feel. Pure tart red fruit, excellent acidity, some savory notes, and low tannin. Much less to it and quite Gamay-like, but I did enjoy its rocky nature which carried through to the finish. A very different animal than the previous Pinots.
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2020 Sato Pinot Noir
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
(2/13/2024)
Apparently an under the radar Central Otago producer. Deep ruby-more saturation than any other Pinot we tasted today. My fear was a big, roasted, Syrah-like wine but thankfully, this was not to be. Served too warm at first, it displayed deep dark fruit aromas and little else, but with cooling, a mixture of black and blue fruit emerged, as well as distinctly cooler green tones. Medium weight, neither heavy nor overextracted. Beautiful concentration, bright acidity, and well integrated ripe tannins. Not the final word in terroir, but energetic, still young, and very high quality.
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2022 Felton Road Pinot Noir Bannockburn
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Bannockburn
(2/13/2024)
Light ruby center. Attractive smoky, discrete aromatics. Medium weight. Understated sinuous mix of black cherry fruit with outstanding flow and harmony. Solid acidity, dark spice, no appreciable oak, some youthful tannic bite, and an excellent length finish anyway. This is a gem of an entry level wine! No crime in opening one now, but I have no doubt about its evolution either.
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2022 Felton Road Pinot Noir Calvert
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
(2/13/2024)
Lighter color. More floral nose with some soil. Lighter bodied, prominent herb and earth in the mouth. The fruit is more red berry than cherry, and it gains sneaky sweetness as it opens. Tangy, a twist of citrus, grippy tannins, and clinging soil finale. Not a big wine but very subtle, refined, and well constructed for significant aging. Love the finesse here.
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2022 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 5
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
(2/13/2024)
Clear light ruby core. Powerful, complex scents of citrus rind, spice, and black cherry. Rounder than the 2 preceding wines but still poised with admirable elegance and restraint. Complementing perfectly ripe fruit are light oak, beautifully fine, well incorporated tannin, and a soil-drenched finish of superb length and contour. This is an absolute knockout that will go from strength to strength over the next few decades.
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2022 Felton Road Chardonnay Bannockburn
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Bannockburn
(2/13/2024)
Light yellow. Fragrant underripe pineapple and a dash of herbs on the nose. Medium+ weight. Seamless glycerine feel with some oak and butteriness. Deep pear, citrus, and pineapple with bright acidity. Some finishing astringency. Although the cooperage has a lighter touch than in many Chardonnays we’ve tasted, it still detracts from the overall impression created by this otherwise excellent wine. A question of preference rather than quality.
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2023 Felton Road Dry Riesling
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
(2/13/2024)
Pale. White flowers and pine needles. Medium weight. Green apple fruit, completely dry, and a tooth rattling acid/mineral finish. Etched and severe right now, it will require some aging to unclench.
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2021 Burn Cottage Pinot Noir Moonlight Race
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
(2/13/2024)
Red color. Spice and cola aromas. Somewhat sweet cherry fruit with good acidity and citric lift. Simple and short, very ripe New World style.
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2020 Burn Cottage Pinot Noir Burn Cottage Vineyard
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
(2/13/2024)
Dull light red. Livelier, more complex nose with wintergreen in addition to sweet red fruit. Medium weight, good sappiness, not too sweet in the mouth and some nice more savory elements. Very good but I didn’t enjoy it as much today as 3 nights ago. Perhaps that was because it followed tasting more classically structured examples today at Valli and Felton Road.
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2020 Burn Cottage Pinot Noir Sauvage Vineyard
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Bannockburn
(2/13/2024)
Light ruby. Confected blueberry, cola, and herb. Medium body. Nice mix of lively blueberry, some soil, good acidity, and a grainier tannic finish. Good but needs a few years to round out. Again, it came across as sweeter and less interesting than the wines at other estates today.
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2020 Burn Cottage Riesling/Gruner Veltliner
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
(2/13/2024)
Light yellow. Sweet cut apple and spice greet you. Off dry Golden Delicious apple and a soil-filled finale. Interestingly, this shows hardly any Gruner Veltliner compared to the 2018 we tried the other night. Little intensity or interest.
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2021 Valli Pinot Noir Bendigo Vineyard
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago Bendigo
(2/14/2024)
Deep primary ruby. Blackbery, boysenberry, and a scooch of herb on the nose. Medium bodied, finely calibrated oak that seems more like seasoning than playing a larger role. Strapping dark fruit as above, not too unctuous or overly ripe, not much minerality, fine acidity, and somewhat astringent tannins. Serious, relatively backward young wine with excellent prospects going forward.
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2019 Dry River Pinot Noir
New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
(2/14/2024)
Dark ruby. Bottle funk and bacony notes that blew off to show black fruit and cooler menthol. Medium weight with strikingly long clay base. Strict black fruit, excellent acidity, and firm tannins. Rather serious and backward right now, quite different from the “cheery cherry” of many of the Pinots we’ve had over the past few days. I probably would have guessed France if blinded.
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2016 Grava Riesling
New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
(2/15/2024)
Light color. Lean, dry, stone fruit, very good acidity and minerality. Quite fresh.
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2013 Pegasus Bay Riesling Aged Release
New Zealand, South Island, Canterbury, Waipara
(2/15/2024)
Full yellow. Apple and some secondary high tones. Medium weight, fairly glycerine, succulent orchard fruit, soil filled finish, could use a tad more acidity. Very good but I wouldn’t wait much longer.
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2016 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 3
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
(2/15/2024)
Light red center with fading tawny outer third. Seductive Burgundian aromas-smoke, strawberry, and faint menthol. Light weight, the barest touch of wood, delicate red fruit, some undergrowth, average acidity, and resolved back end without any residual tannin. Subtle and understated wine that I might have misidentified as a 2007 or 2000 Burgundy. More advanced than I would have expected but probably on a stable plateau that could last for some years.
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2020 Felton Road Dry Riesling
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
(2/16/2024)
Light greenish yeloow. Lime scents. Light to medium bodied. Dry, brisk citrus. Excellent and young. This grew in the glass. Like a Mosel trocken.
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2015 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 3
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
(2/16/2024)
Light ruby, maturing rim. Significant stem aromas. Medium weight. For its size, powerful, authoritative black and blue fruit, strong backbone of acidity, bitter chocolate and soil leading into a moderately tannic finish. Compared to the 2016 Block 3 we had last night, this is deeper, darker, and much less evolved. Lovely as that wine was, this stands above it. Fantastic quality. Our experience during our first week in New Zealand makes me ask the question: “Felton Road, where have you been all of my life??” Consistently impressive wines.
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2022 Pegasus Bay Riesling Bel Canto
New Zealand, South Island, Canterbury, Waipara
(2/17/2024)
By the glass pour. Light yellow. Slightly reduced. Unusual herbal thread in addition to flowers and tropical fruit. Medium weight. Increasingly bright pineapple and nectarine. Off dry entry, fair concentration, and potent acidity and soil on the finish. Youthful and excellent although the nose and slight herbaceousness on the palate would have thrown me off as to the varietal.
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2022 Kumeu River Chardonnay Estate
New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Kumeu
(2/17/2024)
By the glass pour. Light lemon yellow. Combination of citrus, butterscotch, vanilla, and wood toast aromas, with the latter taking over as the wine warmed. Lovely textured feel, creamy low pitched fruit, average acidity, some finishing astringency, and very good length. A bit too much oak for my taste but still very attractive wine.
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2020 Prophets Rock Pinot Noir Cuvée Aux Antipodes
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago Bendigo
(2/17/2024)
Deep ruby. Reticent at first, then blackberry joined by a whiff of smokiness, blueberry, and rising perfumed green herb. Dense and beautifully textured with a light wood base. Layered dark fruit that doesn’t have an ounce of fat, good acidity, tremendous salinity, and generous but yielding tannins with ground coffee to finish, and some bitter citrus shows up to add further interest. The wine just kept coming with each pour and ultimately reminded me of young Clos Vougeot in its power and structure. Only 3000 bottles produced-I’m so glad I got to try one. This should age for decades.
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2023 Dog Point Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc
New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
(2/19/2024)
Light yellow. Strong underripe bell pepper aroma. Fresh and lively in the mouth, grapefruit and lime, excellent acidity, and an added bit of flesh. Some soil. Although the varietal pungency is too much for my taste, this is very good in a clean stainless steel style.
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2018 Dog Point Vineyard Section 94
New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
(2/19/2024)
Tulip yellow. Complex, high toned fine herbs that are much less aggressive than in the basic Sauvignon, and a whiff of pineapple as well. Medium to full bodied, creamy and glycerine texture that gives a sweet sensation. Rich fruit, white flower, acidity that sneaks up on you, and noticeable oak. What a completely different expression, and it does bring to mind Sancerre from the likes of Gérard Boulay even if it doesn’t have quite the limestone minerality of those wines. It is in excellent shape at 6 years of age.
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2021 Dog Point Vineyard Chardonnay
New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
(2/19/2024)
Medium yellow. Promising aromas of tangerine and buttered popcorn. Lively attack with excellent interplay of the citrus fruit and wood lifted by excellent acidity. In the end, however, the wood takes over and dominates the finish in an unpleasant way. Aspects of this really reminded me of Mâconnais wines, although the quality of fruit is quite different.
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2021 Dog Point Vineyard Pinot Noir
New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
(2/19/2024)
Fading light ruby. Florals and cola scents. Medium weight, good sap to it. Slightly sweet dark red fruit, some obvious oak, light soil and herbs, moderate drying tannins. This is more complex and overtly New World than it seemed from the nose, but it doesn’t hold a candle to many of the other NZ Pinots we’ve had over the past 10 days in either depth or subtlety.
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2021 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc Te Koko
New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
(2/19/2024)
By the glass pour. Pale with a greenish tint. Bright lime on the nose with just a small dollop of Sauvignon grassiness. Really lovely combination of zesty citrus, brineyness, excellent acidity, and a pleasing veneer of flesh. Refreshing, succulent, and a real Sancerre look alike. Well done.
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2015 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc
New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
(2/19/2024)
By the glass pour. Deeper color than the 2021 Te Koko but still light for its age. Much more noticeable varietal green tones and soil on the nose. Riper, richer style with lower acidity. Blurry fruit, lots of soil, but too much oak. This is not tired but it feels plodding and dull. No contest compared to the younger wine.
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2019 Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir Te Wahi
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
(2/19/2024)
By the glass pour. Saturated ruby color. Deeply fruited aromas. Medium+ body. Begins with smoky, tangy cherry, spice, excellent crisp acidity, and enveloping earthiness. Unfortunately, it runs out of steam and loses intensity through the mid-palate and finish. While I very much like the first aromatic and palate impressions, it does not reach the heights of the best Central Otago Pinots that we’ve tasted during this trip.
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2020 Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir Mustang
New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
(2/19/2024)
By the glass pour. Light to medium ruby center. Lots of wood smoke. Medium weight. Upfront cola, then a mix of dark red and blue fruit, soil, and savory components. Not bad but shorter, drier, and less impact than the 2019 Te Wahi tasted before it. Had I had more insight about the 2 Pinots, we would have reversed the tasting order since this sequence placed this wine at a disadvantage.
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2021 Kumeu River Chardonnay Estate
New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Kumeu
(2/19/2024)
By the glass pour from a fresh bottle. Medium yellow. Citrus and buttered popcorn. Glycerine, oaky creamy feel and very good length. Almost a “carbon copy” of the 2022 we had the other night save for more bitter citrus, and like that wine, overoaked for what it is.
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2022 Valli Pinot Noir Gibbston Vineyard
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
(2/19/2024)
After tasting this at the winery last week, we ordered this with dinner since there were slim pickings on the list. Once again, an attractive complex melange of cranberry, soil, ground cocoa, and citrus. Having a chance to follow a whole bottle, though, we found that it clenched up and tasted more lean and dry after a few hours. This is not a bad thing, just a shot across the bow suggesting that it is probably better to wait a few years before opening these. No problem with that since it is only a couple of years old!
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2022 Fromm Chardonnay Clayvin Vineyard Marlborough
New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
(2/20/2024)
Light color. Subtle stone fruit scent. Understated, citric, light layer of oak, good acidity, and average drive and intensity. Clean, good, unexciting.
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2022 Fromm Chardonnay Marlborough
New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
(2/20/2024)
Light color. Citrus aromas. Richer and more buttery than the Clayvin. No real power or grip. Mâcon like.
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2007 Fromm Pinot Noir Fromm Vineyard
New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
(2/20/2024)
Coravin. Light maturing ruby. Green scents and pruniness. Rich, sappy, spicy, and smoky with overripe fruit. Chewy, good soil base. Heavy handed wine from what must have been a very warm vintage, but not without interest or life.
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2020 Fromm Pinot Noir Fromm Vineyard
New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
(2/20/2024)
Light ruby core. Fragrant red fruit. Light, elegant, flowing red fruit, lively with a strong vein of clay. Subtle, not large scaled. I really liked this today, and it should provide excellent short term drinking.
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2007 Fromm Pinot Noir Clayvin Vineyard
New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
(2/20/2024)
Coravin. Maturing light ruby. Dark cherry aromas with surmaturité. Medium body. Sweet, sappy entry with lots of clay. Short, alcoholic, brusque finish.
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2021 Fromm Pinot Noir Clayvin Vineyard
New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
(2/20/2024)
Clear ruby. Herbal nose. Medium weight, very nice red fruit/soil balance. Light, earthy, and citric. Excellent acidity, savory notes, and progression across the palate with an appropriately weighted level of framing dry tannins. This was terrific and my favorite of the Pinots we were shown.
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2019 Fromm Pinot Noir Churton Vineyard
New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
(2/20/2024)
Light red. Laid back nose. Lovely medium to light weight blue/red fruit, bright acidity, and a swirling finish of soil and tannins. Nice unforced natural sweetness, but could use more intensity and length. Needs 2+ years, but at least very good. Simpler than the 2021 Clayvin, but I liked this too for its delicacy. This light touch is something I appreciated about all of the current era Pinots we tasted but did not find in the library examples.
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1994 Fromm La Strada Merlot Malbec Syrah
New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough, Awatere Valley
(2/20/2024)
Coravin. Deep ruby core, some browning. Old wine smell-VA, leather, and menthol. Medium weight. Earth, spice, and fennel with some remaining sweetness of fruit, but obvious oxidation and a harsh, short finish. Past its time, but some intriguing flashes of what it must have been some years back.
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2019 Fromm Syrah Fromm Vineyard
New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
(2/20/2024)
Deep purple/ruby. Mountain meadow scents of crushed herb and dark flowers-very alluring. Medium weight with an excellent soil base. Tart black and blue fruit with strong acidity, chocolatey tannins, and a moderately long finish. Very refined, elegant version of true Syrah and probably the best wine we tasted during this visit. It is fascinating that this winery can successfully produce Rhône, Bordeaux, and Burgundian red varietals from the same climate and terroir.
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1997 Fromm Merlot La Strada Reserve
New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
(2/20/2024)
Coravin. Surprisingly deep color for a 27 year old Merlot. VA, pine needle, and portiness on the nose. Massive and mouthfilling. Sweet blueberry fruit, mint, and a tannic finish showing alcoholic heat. Fascinating, very much alive, but out of balance. I would never have guessed the varietal grape.
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2021 Fromm Merlot / Malbec
New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
(2/20/2024)
Dense clear ruby. Very fragrant dill and blueberry. Pleasing medium weight, very nice dance of soil and blue fruit. Excellent acidity and substantial fine tannins that reach the gums. Excellent and quite impressive, and I say this as someone who generally avoids Bordeaux varietals. Should drink very well over the next decade anyway.
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1998 Fromm Malbec La Strada Reserve
New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
(2/20/2024)
Coravin. Ruby core. Menthol and blue fruit. Medium weight. Harmonious feel with soil, gently sweet blueberry, and crisp acidity. It still has a good amount of grainy tannins which should provide another decade of aging potential. Excellent and the best of the older reds that were poured. Never having had aged New Zealand reds, the longevity of this wine was very instructive for me.
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2019 Fromm Malbec Fromm Vineyard
New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
(2/20/2024)
Clear ruby. Pure black and blue fruit with a bit of herbaceousness. Medium bodied. Clean blueberry fruit, full of earth, fine tannins, firm, drier finish. Also very good in a straightforward, more modern, polished style. Maybe this is partly a function of it being pure Malbec and not blended. I’d give it a few years and enjoy it over the short to intermediate term after that.
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2020 Pencarrow Pinot Noir
New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
(2/21/2024)
Clear ruby. Black cherry, cola, and oak. Medium weight. Straightforward and a little sweet, but at the same time, some wood char and a bit of citrus. Coarsely tannic, astringent finish. Not bad for a wine served aboard a ferry (traversing Cook Strait).
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2016 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 5
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
(2/21/2024)
Even light ruby. Intriguing sinuous mix of dull red berries, clear but measured stem notes, clove, and tilled soil. Medium weight. Fresh discretely ripe fruit, smoke, and citrus buttressed by fine acidity, a long vein of pure fruit with tannins that are very much in the background. The overall sense is that of confidence, poise, and seamlessness. This was so much more vigorous and youthful than the 2016 Block 3 we had the other night that I wonder whether storage was an issue with that bottle. At any rate, one of the greatest red wines we’ve tasted here and reminiscent of outstanding Gevrey Grand Crus that slay with elegance and complexity rather than power. It should age beautifully for another 15 to 20 years.
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2019 Pegasus Bay Sémillon Finale
New Zealand, South Island, Canterbury, Waipara
(2/21/2024)
Half bottle. Sauternes blend. Light yellow. Coconut, wood, and pineapple upfront. Medium weight, only moderately sweet, and not too unctuous in its feel. Good acidity but it’s really kept fresh by pungent grapefruit rind that appears late. Interesting, reasonably lively for this genre, and an excellent effort which more than holds its own.
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2023 Escarpment Pinot Noir Nina rosé
New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
(2/22/2024)
Pale. Bright scents of strawberry and melon. Delicate with a bit of glycerine. Piquant fruit, dry, tannic finish. Another very good rosé.
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2022 Escarpment Chardonnay
New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
(2/22/2024)
Light color. Prominent oak toast. Medium body, astringent woody base. Some bitter citrus and good acidity but mostly buttery oak. The balance is just not there.
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2021 Escarpment Pinot Noir
New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
(2/22/2024)
Light ruby core. Forward aromas of wood char and dark cherries. Medium weight. Dark fruited, a dash of green herbs. Chewy, savory fruit/soil mix with a very good ripely tannic finish. Excellent for the entry level wine, and honestly, I found it less forced than some of the higher end bottlings. This would make a very pleasant every day house red.
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2021 Escarpment Pinot Noir Pahi
New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
(2/22/2024)
Light ruby. Open aromas, more floral tones and menthol than the basic Pinot Noir. Light to medium weight, lovely elegant feel, fine soil foundation, inner mouth fragrance, tangy fruit, and a more serious, somber finish. Excellent, very “feminine”, and well constituted for medium term aging.
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2018 Escarpment Pinot Noir Te Rehua
New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
(2/22/2024)
Light, maturing color. Mostly stems on the nose with blueberry far behind. Light to medium bodied but surprisingly round, glycerine feel. Discretely ripe blue fruit that quickly yields to a green, harshly tannic finish. Sorry, but this does not have enough fruit or concentration to withstand the full bore whole cluster vinification. The balance is out of whack.
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2021 Escarpment Pinot Noir Te Rehua
New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
(2/22/2024)
Ruby. Compared to the 2021, this has a much more satisfying interplay of blue and black fruit with the green, stemmy components. Medium+ weight, strong fruit, then substantial, drying tannins. Not at all ready, but this has the material and backbone to reward at least 5 years of aging. All of these wines have the feel of rigidly using the same winemaking formula, which works for some of them but not all.
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2020 Te Kairanga Pinot Noir Runholder
New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
(2/22/2024)
Dark ruby. Very herbal nose, some overripe fruit. Heavy, syrupy black cherry and a surprising amount of earth. Very good acidity and citrus peel, harsh tannins. Oof, this is the most Californian Pinot Noir we’ve had in New Zealand. Gloppy with little varietal character and that cola flavor that I despise in New World Pinot.
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2019 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir Home Block
New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
(2/22/2024)
This apparently is produced by the Te Kairanga team. Dark color. More earth and smoke on the nose than the 2020 Runholder. Lighter weight and touch than that wine, but still outsized for a Pinot. Candied cherry fruit and a good bit of soil running through it. Becomes more fragrant as it goes. A step up compared to the Runholder, but still a hedonistic New World style that lacks subtlety and grace.
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2023 Ata Rangi Summer Rosé
New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
(2/22/2024)
Pink orange. Melon rind and herb. Nice feel. Tagy fruit, excellent acidity and soil. Dry and classy.
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2022 Ata Rangi Chardonnay Pōtiki
New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
(2/22/2024)
Light to medium yellow. Harmonious aromatics of yellow fruit and light oak notes. Medium weight. Bitter citrus combined with a real creamy, lactic quality without the overt butteriness we’ve encountered in so many Chardonnays here. Excellent framing acidity. I really liked the balance and restraint of this wine. The wood is noticeable but very measured.
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2022 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir Crimson
New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
(2/22/2024)
Limpid red. Fragrant, light oak. Light weight, earthy, naturally sweet dull red fruit, excellent acidity and soil, light tannins and a pleasantly savory finish. Late hints of ground coffee. Delightful, finessed, open wine perfect for early drinking. Well done for a young vines bottling.
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2020 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir
New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
(2/22/2024)
Light ruby core with faded edge. Wintergreen. Medium to lighter weight. Gently ripe entry of red and blue fruit, tremendous soil feel, smoke, and then youthfully dry tannins. Really well balanced, savory, and not primarily fruit driven. This handles the whole cluster usage very well and should age for several decades after softening in bottle. Excellent or better.
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2020 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir McCrone
New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
(2/22/2024)
Pale red color. Strong stem notes. Light weight. Subtly sweet attack with blueberry, spice, and soil followed by brambly green flavors and resoundingly dry tannins. This needs 5+ years but should have excellent potential. Its structure, weight, and flavors reminded me of fine Savigny-les-Beaune.
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2021 Ata Rangi Célèbre
New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
(2/22/2024)
Predominantly Syrah and Merlot. Deep ruby, very different from the Pinots! Fennel and black fruit. Medium weight. Beautifully tangy black fruit and soil, inner mouth perfume, outstanding acidity, and a long, ripely tannic finish laced with soil. Very elegant rendition of Syrah-based wine. Will blossom with a fair amount of time in bottle. This concluded our tasting at Ata Rangi, and I was very impressed by the subtlety and finesse of the range we were shown.
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2020 Field Pinot Noir
New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
(2/22/2024)
By the glass pour. Apparently a side project of John Kavanaugh, the winemaker at Te Kairanga. Ruby. Cool green aromas. Medium weight, earthy, chocolatey feel. Understated black fruit, citrus, vibrant acidity, and moderate tannins. Very, very good and it could not have been more divergent from the overripe, alcoholic mess of a 2020 wine from Te Kairanga that we had at lunch today.
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2019 Kusuda Pinot Noir
New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
(2/23/2024)
I had never heard of these wines until we were exhorted to try one tonight. This bottle was so extraordinary that we couldn’t help but order the earlier vintage that was also on the list. The 2019 had a regal ruby tint with breathtaking aromatics of fragrant ripe strawberry, tilled earth, and penetrating high toned menthol. With air the fruit became darker red, and the green tones settled into a lightly stemmy profile. What was most striking was the mouth feel and harmony of the wine, a silky, fluid dance of pure fruit and soil across the palate with tangy acidity and perfectly refined tannins backing it up. This showed more of its structure as it sat out, but its beauty never faded. Its elegance and slightly tart red fruit made me think of great Chambolle-Musigny. Gorgeous vin de terroir that was probably the best wine we had during our 2 weeks in New Zealand and this on our final evening here. Brilliant and a wine that Burghound would probably describe as “Zen-like”.
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2018 Kusuda Pinot Noir
New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
(2/23/2024)
We tasted this next to the 2019. Its color was clearly light, limpid, and less saturated in comparison. Whereas aromatically the younger wine led with its succulent red fruit, this shouted terroir and mint as soon as it was opened. Lighter weight but it gained some sappiness with air. Here, as the fruit unfolded, it was more blue than red and accompanied by cinnamon and chocolate tones. Excellent acidity and refined, barely noticeable tannins. This did not feel quite as seamless as the 2019, but was an immensely impressive, achingly delicate wine that is a far cry from most New Zealand Pinot Noir. Both of these were revelatory.
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2018 Bell Hill Pinot Noir
New Zealand, South Island, Canterbury
(2/24/2024)
Pale ruby. Markedly reduced, the second Bell Hill wine we’ve had with this issue. No help with the copper coin trick. Light and lean, pretty unconvincing red fruit, a touch of pyrazine, light soil, and spiky acidity. Too rigid for its own good. Unsatisfying.
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2021 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 5
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
(2/24/2024)
What a fitting final wine before departing the country since our mantra has become “More Felton Road, please”! Healthy ruby. Spiced blueberry and obvious soul on the nose. Medium weight, poised, perfect ripeness, flow, and balance with a fine oak base, citric acidity, and low but soil-laced tannins. Another beauty that astoundingly combines great early drinkability and substantial aging potential. Like many of these wines, much more than it seems on first pour, growing and adding layers of interest and seductiveness in the glass.
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