Dinner at Nisei with Bethany (Nisei, SF): Aromatic nose, tons of spice, some smoke, red fruited, light bodied, red fruited, lovely spice; medium length finish. Nice Pinot. 90
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Apparence rouge bourgogne dense avec reflets orangés trahissant l'âge. Nez sur le fruit très mûr, framboise. Bouche généreuse, un peu de chaleur, dessert à la framboise, les tanins sont toujours structurants, assez longue persistance. Cette bouteille a bien tenu la garde bien que la fenêtre se referme.
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Entertaining the Judge (Wanaka Wedge House, Queensberry, Central Otago, New Zealand): last bottle, best bottle. Did not feel outclassed by the Calon Segur 2005 or Trimbach 2004 drunk earlier in the evening. Classy example of Central Otago PN, that offered a similar intensity and clarity of varietal expression that Calon Segur offered. While in maturity, the fruit quality is superb, and the winemaking is certainly refined. Nice sense of structure and focus. A touch of herbaceous, whole-bunch character adds interest.
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Beautiful hue, candied central Pinot fruit, which is quite raspberry in style - intense, rooty, spice, wet stones and undergrowth - quite complex. Intense and balanced palate - sweet vanilla oak is countered by serious structure, highish alcohol, and a very focused acid core. Savoury and tight in style, but showing excellent typicity. Tannic finish that comes across a little hard. With air, the wine opens beautifully, and gains stature. This is not a simple wine, but it doesn’t feel particularly sophisticated, either. On the over the top side... (88-90 points)
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Traditionnellement pour tout les vins issus de la cave de Champlain Charest. Merci M. Charest. Notes écrites 4 jours après dégustation. Ca pinote, sous-bois, animal, framboise. L'alcool perceptible trahit l'origine nouveau-monde Quelques notes d'élevage, noix. Bonne persistance.
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The wine was medium to light ruby in colour and offered mixed berries, underbrush, spices and intense charry/smoky notes on the nose and palate, with a touch of residual CO2, good acidity, well-integrated tannin and very good length. The light- to medium-bodied wine was reasonably smooth and reasonably balanced on day one, and even smoother on day two, and seemed to have good potential for further development. Drink or hold; I will wait for a few years. 90+
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Alc: 13.8%; Light to medium mahogany Smoky aromas with wet earth, mineral, raspberry jelly powder and squished strawberries. Edgy entry with mineral and lively acidity alongside a permeating smoky, savoury element. Some riper fruits sit alongside but it isn't a sweet Pinot. It was served very cold so the ash and charcoal may be emphasised as they did reduce as the wine warmed. Quite an elegant wine, that is perhaps past its peak but just hanging in there. Some sappy, stalky elements kicked in on the mid-palate alongside umami and more minerals (and a lsightly annoying burnt note). Rawness to the tannins but length was long. The finish showed ripe stewed plums, strawberry and a toffee-apple note with BBQ meat. It was difficult to assess as part of me liked the quirky slightly natural styling, whereas another part of me found it a little charcoal-like and stewed.
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Nose shows bright red fruit notes (raspberry, red cherry), but they seem dulled-down somehow, accompanied by earthy notes of shoe sole and brown spice (nutmeg, cinnamon). Palate is similar, but better, with super-bright red fruit notes over a solid foundation of old oak and ground spices. Light-bodied, juicy mouthfeel, with bright acidity, but backed by decent tannin. Very enjoyable. Seemed less flavoursome when re-tasted at the end of the night, but maybe that's just because my palate was tired by then.
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Not really impressed. Sure palate fatigue had crept in after having tasted quite a few wines before that, but no pinosity was evident and nothing remarkable was spotted. Not bad though in any way...
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Decanted, consumed over a period of two days. The wine was light to medium ruby in colour and offered red fruit, red cherry, mushroom, underbrush and moss on the smoky nose. On the palate the wine showed red fruit, cherry and berry flavours, complemented by bacon, spice, clove, liquorice and smoke. It started off light-bodied and gained weight and became medium-bodied over time, with medium-level acidity and tannin, a good mouthfeel and very good length. This smoky Central Otago Pinot Noir was balanced and drank well right from the start even if the tannin was still present on day one, and became even smoother and more balanced, with well-integrated tannin, on day two. Will buy again.
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Great nose. Mushroom, forest floor. A streak of bright red fruit. Alas, the palate didn't live up to the nose. Kind of flat. Balanced and light but not very interesting. Medium finish. This could age into something much nicer.
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J and E visit the wilds of Ponsonby (Ponsonby, Auckland, New Zealand): Spicy and well balanced. God grip and concentration. Lovely layered complications. This is young but is a wine that grows on the taster. Impeccable winemaking. Better balance after the 2009 - an exciting winery that is developing very well, stylistically.
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Medium ruby. Initially noticeable bubbling, needs decanting and/or shaking to get rid of CO2. The nose is continuously evolving with aeration and showed much better on day 2 with pronounced clove alongside cinnamon, white pepper, raspberries and cherries. On the palate it is medium-bodied, balanced and silky-textured with excessively sweet fruit and balancing acidity. Medium to long aftertaste. Very good New World pinot if the sweetness of fruit does not bother you. Needs further cellaring or prolonged aeration to fully unwind its complexity.
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Clear, bright, glossy ruby red color. Nose: clean, berry fruit, charcoal/smoky. Palate: unpleasant sensation of sweetness, slight effervescence, lowish level unintegrated acidity (as if it were acidified, but not saying it was), short and simple. Developed more earthy, meaty, savoury flavours with time in the glass. It wasn't a defective bottle, as I was tasting with people who knew the wine well and deemed it true to character. I am clearly in the minority, as most people give it high praise.
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I liked this wine very much and I think it shows the promise that Central Otago has with pinot. A nose of musty earth, mushrooms, bright cherry, ginger, and cardamom. The palate is energetic and rich at the same time. Great with food. Has potential for at least a decade of development given the balance.
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2/4/2024 - aagrawal wrote: 90 Points
Dinner at Nisei with Bethany (Nisei, SF): Aromatic nose, tons of spice, some smoke, red fruited, light bodied, red fruited, lovely spice; medium length finish. Nice Pinot. 90
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1/8/2024 - YoRi Likes this wine: 90 Points
Apparence rouge bourgogne dense avec reflets orangés trahissant l'âge.
Nez sur le fruit très mûr, framboise.
Bouche généreuse, un peu de chaleur, dessert à la framboise, les tanins sont toujours structurants, assez longue persistance.
Cette bouteille a bien tenu la garde bien que la fenêtre se referme.
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10/7/2020 - Marc wrote: 90 Points
Entertaining the Judge (Wanaka Wedge House, Queensberry, Central Otago, New Zealand): last bottle, best bottle. Did not feel outclassed by the Calon Segur 2005 or Trimbach 2004 drunk earlier in the evening. Classy example of Central Otago PN, that offered a similar intensity and clarity of varietal expression that Calon Segur offered. While in maturity, the fruit quality is superb, and the winemaking is certainly refined. Nice sense of structure and focus. A touch of herbaceous, whole-bunch character adds interest.
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3/14/2019 - Marc wrote: 88 Points
Beautiful hue, candied central Pinot fruit, which is quite raspberry in style - intense, rooty, spice, wet stones and undergrowth - quite complex. Intense and balanced palate - sweet vanilla oak is countered by serious structure, highish alcohol, and a very focused acid core. Savoury and tight in style, but showing excellent typicity. Tannic finish that comes across a little hard. With air, the wine opens beautifully, and gains stature. This is not a simple wine, but it doesn’t feel particularly sophisticated, either. On the over the top side... (88-90 points)
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5/18/2018 - YoRi Likes this wine: 90 Points
Traditionnellement pour tout les vins issus de la cave de Champlain Charest. Merci M. Charest.
Notes écrites 4 jours après dégustation.
Ca pinote, sous-bois, animal, framboise.
L'alcool perceptible trahit l'origine nouveau-monde
Quelques notes d'élevage, noix. Bonne persistance.
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3/9/2018 - PSPatrick wrote: 90 Points
The wine was medium to light ruby in colour and offered mixed berries, underbrush, spices and intense charry/smoky notes on the nose and palate, with a touch of residual CO2, good acidity, well-integrated tannin and very good length. The light- to medium-bodied wine was reasonably smooth and reasonably balanced on day one, and even smoother on day two, and seemed to have good potential for further development. Drink or hold; I will wait for a few years. 90+
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1/4/2018 - rikipedia wrote: 89 Points
Alc: 13.8%; Light to medium mahogany
Smoky aromas with wet earth, mineral, raspberry jelly powder and squished strawberries.
Edgy entry with mineral and lively acidity alongside a permeating smoky, savoury element. Some riper fruits sit alongside but it isn't a sweet Pinot. It was served very cold so the ash and charcoal may be emphasised as they did reduce as the wine warmed. Quite an elegant wine, that is perhaps past its peak but just hanging in there. Some sappy, stalky elements kicked in on the mid-palate alongside umami and more minerals (and a lsightly annoying burnt note). Rawness to the tannins but length was long. The finish showed ripe stewed plums, strawberry and a toffee-apple note with BBQ meat.
It was difficult to assess as part of me liked the quirky slightly natural styling, whereas another part of me found it a little charcoal-like and stewed.
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11/16/2016 - Drinking Trees wrote:
Nose shows bright red fruit notes (raspberry, red cherry), but they seem dulled-down somehow, accompanied by earthy notes of shoe sole and brown spice (nutmeg, cinnamon). Palate is similar, but better, with super-bright red fruit notes over a solid foundation of old oak and ground spices. Light-bodied, juicy mouthfeel, with bright acidity, but backed by decent tannin. Very enjoyable. Seemed less flavoursome when re-tasted at the end of the night, but maybe that's just because my palate was tired by then.
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11/6/2016 - DougLee wrote: 88 Points
Wife loved it. I was not so sure. Burnt and extracted on the tongue. May get better with lots of cellar time.
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12/30/2015 - Stefanos T. wrote: 90 Points
Not really impressed.
Sure palate fatigue had crept in after having tasted quite a few wines before that, but no pinosity was evident and nothing remarkable was spotted.
Not bad though in any way...
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11/1/2015 - PSPatrick wrote: 90 Points
Decanted, consumed over a period of two days. The wine was light to medium ruby in colour and offered red fruit, red cherry, mushroom, underbrush and moss on the smoky nose. On the palate the wine showed red fruit, cherry and berry flavours, complemented by bacon, spice, clove, liquorice and smoke. It started off light-bodied and gained weight and became medium-bodied over time, with medium-level acidity and tannin, a good mouthfeel and very good length. This smoky Central Otago Pinot Noir was balanced and drank well right from the start even if the tannin was still present on day one, and became even smoother and more balanced, with well-integrated tannin, on day two. Will buy again.
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3/11/2015 - stevetimko Likes this wine:
Great nose. Mushroom, forest floor. A streak of bright red fruit. Alas, the palate didn't live up to the nose. Kind of flat. Balanced and light but not very interesting. Medium finish. This could age into something much nicer.
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2/27/2015 - Marc wrote: 90 Points
J and E visit the wilds of Ponsonby (Ponsonby, Auckland, New Zealand): Spicy and well balanced. God grip and concentration. Lovely layered complications. This is young but is a wine that grows on the taster. Impeccable winemaking. Better balance after the 2009 - an exciting winery that is developing very well, stylistically.
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12/13/2014 - Yiannis Likes this wine: 91 Points
Medium ruby. Initially noticeable bubbling, needs decanting and/or shaking to get rid of CO2. The nose is continuously evolving with aeration and showed much better on day 2 with pronounced clove alongside cinnamon, white pepper, raspberries and cherries. On the palate it is medium-bodied, balanced and silky-textured with excessively sweet fruit and balancing acidity. Medium to long aftertaste. Very good New World pinot if the sweetness of fruit does not bother you. Needs further cellaring or prolonged aeration to fully unwind its complexity.
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7/11/2014 - Barbara B Does not like this wine: 84 Points
Clear, bright, glossy ruby red color. Nose: clean, berry fruit, charcoal/smoky. Palate: unpleasant sensation of sweetness, slight effervescence, lowish level unintegrated acidity (as if it were acidified, but not saying it was), short and simple. Developed more earthy, meaty, savoury flavours with time in the glass. It wasn't a defective bottle, as I was tasting with people who knew the wine well and deemed it true to character. I am clearly in the minority, as most people give it high praise.
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3/26/2014 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:
I liked this wine very much and I think it shows the promise that Central Otago has with pinot. A nose of musty earth, mushrooms, bright cherry, ginger, and cardamom. The palate is energetic and rich at the same time. Great with food. Has potential for at least a decade of development given the balance.
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3/1/2013 - Vini Ciclismo Does not like this wine: 82 Points
Fragrance led by whole bunch herbal spice.
Strong acid bite and astringent finish, lean and mean. Yuk.
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2/9/2013 - AlexGarner Likes this wine: 93 Points
Littorai, Burn Cottage and Evesham Wood tasting (Prince Wine Store - Bank Street): The nose is full of ripe, red fruits, but is balanced with savouries and a struck match edge. The palette is full of beautiful tannins with balancing acid and an interesting smokiness.
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