May 17, 2024 - On the thin and acidic side, ok, nothing special
January 18, 2024 - Nice wine. Concentrated dark Pinot colour in the glass. Nose is earthy, musky, not very open. Somewhat follows on the palate, deeper flavours, somewhat savoury + musk, strawberry and some dark fruit flavours. Medium bodied, fuller for a Pinot with dry finish. Very extracted for a Pinot, tannin is plentiful. Not sure it has the fruit volume to carry it, but I love the texture. I think it needs more time to integrate and gain complexity, could be great in time.
November 5, 2023 - Ruby with a slight purple hue. Ready from the start without a decant. Complex nose that adds intensity within the first minutes in the glass. Strawberries first then red currants, blueberries, floral notes, herbs, vanilla, chalk. On the palate in addition earth, cherries, different herbs and spices. Long fruity finish with some, but mellow, tannin and good acidity. Great balance over all. A great outstanding, potentially extraordinary wine. 98 points from Suckling. 5/14/18/10.
July 30, 2023 - Grabbed this bottle from the VSO July Cellar Collection as I have never tried a NZ Pinot Noir. After trying it I have ordered a case.
On the nose, ripe red fruit, moss and earthy notes. Initial sips yielded ripe raspberry, muted cherry, subtle vanilla and leather. This opened up with a nice barnyard funk, smoke, pencil shavings and pepper. Lengthy, enjoyable finish.
Med+ bodied, dry, velvety smooth and crisp acidity. This drinks like a dream now, but has cellar potential for a decent rest.
Excited for more.
July 10, 2023 - Enjoyable, but not sufficiently complex, especially for the price.
July 2, 2023 - Quite elegant, in addition to all the ‚usual‘ PN aromas we found nice hints of tobacco and leather… one of the best New World PN I tasted so far
March 17, 2023 - Pepper, dark cherry.
January 13, 2023 - "Global Pinot Noir Tasting" (K&L Redwood City): 13.5%, from 50+ year-old vines on the shores of Lake Wanaka – a beautiful place i've been lucky enough to visit!
dark, cloudy garnet colour in the glass with good viscosity. it took time for the nose to open and the initial mineral and gum arabic aromas to dissipate and slowly hint at a universe where red currant, sous-bois, and violets lead to even more things. it feels full bodied in the mouth, where at the moment dominates a fine tannic core that hesitantly shares the space with the enticing fruit flavours, tastes which carry on into an incredibly long finish.
a lot of upside potential with more time bottle age.
similarly, more aeration would have benefitted this bottle… as it was very very reticent
i should be keeping mine down for another three years at least…
January 13, 2023 - clean
medium intensity purple ruby color
subtle fruit, some mushroom, tertiary flavors developing
medium acid
medium alcohol
more french oak than fruit
a more old world style
December 9, 2022 - dark cherry, raspberry, dried leaves. med acid. Power + elegance.