First Wednesday Wine Club (Bella Puglia, Five Dock): "Served blind. Ripe, rich, red berry fruit, vegetal green notes, sweet spice and alcohol prickle. Medium plus intensity acidity, drying tannins, alcohol warmth, grippy tannins, cumbersome. Bad bottle? I thought this might be something south american?"
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Serious label - tattoo material. Really awesome wine too. This is a rich and rambunctious pinot which merits a hearty meal. More black fruit then red, ripe cherry, well blended oak. Eight years and at a perfect spot - I drank the 2014 at three years and was less impressed (tasted a bit green). Imo these need a bit of age.
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Classic Central pinot - cherry notes with earthy and thyme notes. Medium + body, medium acid and medium tannins. Round, and slightly chalky palate with a lovely finish. Could easily go another 3-5years and be in it's 'sweet spot'.
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Nice bouquet of flowers and fruit, especially cherry when first opened. Very smooth and soft with nice fruit/berry palate. Balanced without excessive sweetness.
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Lovely cherry fruit, bright acidity, some minerality. A very nice, well-balanced wine. Pretty on opening but more to it after a couple of hours in the decanter. The combo of sweet fruit and acidity made it a good match for duck bigarade. The leftover was still bright after a couple of days in the fridge. Drink or hold. Based on a single visit, nice people too.
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Forward notes of redcurrant and plums, savoury meat, aniseed spices and leather. Good intensity of fresh and spiced red fruits. Lacking some degree of silky texture and complexity of the best Pinots from Central Otago. Transitions from the medium bodied mid-palate to finish is seamless. Can still keep for a few more years for the tannins to fully integrate into the structure.
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Nose: Warm sandalwood, dried black cherry, potting soil, garrigue notes.
Mouth: Black cherry, black currant, and black plum notes glide through, accented by white pepper, baking spice, and notes of thyme and lavender. Has a distinctly herbal edge into the midpalate, giving this a memorable flavor profile and a hint of structure as well. Tannins at this stage are extremely light, melted in completely, but the acidity remains, giving this a spine as everything rolls through on the extended finish.
Overall: Delicate but still juicy, even after 6 years from harvest, this is unique, with good complexity and confident structure that scales in flavor over time. Has a few more years in the tank at time of writing, but don't let it go beyond 2024 or else end up losing the fruit. A winner all in all. Drink now - 2023
94.
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Delicious red cherry and strawberry on the nose and palate with earth, minerals and lively acidity on the moderate finish. Should improve with more age.
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Purchased at the Winery. Correct medium pale in color. On the nose cherry, the ever popular “minerals” and the palate follows with the addition of just a little sous bois. Excellent acid. Somewhere between new world and old, and a lovely bottle. Drink or hold a few years.
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One of the best examples of pinot in my cellar. Gave it about an hour in the glass to warm up and open, very silky and lush, big round strawberry and cherry fruit. Everything is enjoyable about this wine, the nose, the finish. Well made, will improve further with additional aging so will be curious to check in on this again in a couple of years.
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Fabulous example of sophisticated melding of earth, fruit. Soft finish with great mouth feel. Burn cottage was a recommendation provided to me and I thank them every day. A more robust and complex pinot than many Californians
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A very nice surprise and the first time we come across this estate. Much like their Riesling/Gruner Veltliner that we tried along on this occasion ( Papies 92) this showed off quality winemaking with a soft hand and restraint. New world Pinot is not our thing but here we had to give it to the estate that this very solid. Granted it's riper and darker than Pinot from old world but was very subtle , in balance and with a harmony. Soft wine , 13.4 Alc, well round, silky and very enjoyable. Very solid wine and a very good 91+92. A Softer Calera style Pinot.
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PHMG WAG: Oregon vs. the World (Chez Lyon in Eugene, OR): An emphasis on ripe fruit with more plum, cherry, and blackberry than the Elk Cove. BUT less interesting overall in its blind pair and lost 4 to 7. It fell off a little more on day 2 as well. Now-2020
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Medium purple. Hot and hollow is the summary. Starts with black and blue fruit, licorice, oak spices, makes a promise of a cold masceratiin, fuller style without being oxidative on the positive side. The palate then is rather thin, alcoholic, Grenache like finish. Pinot anyone? Back to the drawingboard it is for this team.
Beautiful wine. Should age for 5-10 yrs. Very good structure - some tannins, fruit, acid. Lovely red fruit, rose petals, earthiness, acid, minerality. This wine has it all. My bet is this will become simply tremendous if cellared for at least 5 or 6 yrs. A joy to have Olivia pour for us and talk about their wines when visiting Burn Cottage’s wine-making facility in Cromwell.
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The nose showed crushed raspberry, smoke, and minerals. On the palate, I found zesty textures with savory-salty minerals, red berries and spice. It finished long, satisfying and fresh.
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New Zealand Pinot Noir Tasting (Oinoscent): The wine needs time in the glass, its much spicier, clove, nutmeg, there is a ripe black fruit core in the glass, the spice is the main element, there is an oak frame, feels quite tight still. In the palate, the wine shows the same profile as the nose, ripe red fruit, smoky, spicy, tight, nice acidity, med body, long finish, needs time
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Slightly shy nose of dark cherries, violets, sweet spice, in an oaky/earthy frame. Medium bodied with balancing acidity, less sweet and better balanced than the moonlight with lingering finish. Delectable.
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New Zealand London Annual Trade Tasting (Lindley Hall, Royal Horticultural Halls): Rich red fruit, sweet spices and ripeness all around, some floral notes, very rich and attractive profile. The palate shows richness, clean red fruit, nice acidity and oak treatment, attractive, tasty, offering complexity, smooth tannins with long finish.
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Terroir-istes International - New Zealand Pinot Noir (Klein Constantia): (Tasted Blind): A light+ ruby colour. Aromas of toffee, rhubarb, and strawberry - challenging to place. A rich, juicy palate entry with a touch of white pepper and herb offers a friendly fleshy core of fruits with squashed raspberry and strawberry well-balanced with lively acidity and firm yet sweet tannins. It is a good wine with decent length and integrated alcohol. It closes with that caramel that detracts, but overall, I liked the wine. Biodynamic wine
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Very impressed with this. Beautiful core of dark cherry fruit, with plenty of spice and dried herbs (wild thyme), and well-integrated nuances of oak. It's ripe and obvious, but with a clear mineral focus to bind it all together.
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Medium garnet with ruby hues. Attractive nose with obvious Pinot Noir character. Spicy, floral with vibrant fruit, silky tannins and bright acidity. Med+ aftertaste. Elegant and absolutely enjoyable.
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Cellarhand Icon Tasting 2016 (Prince Sydney, 40 Hansard Street): Black rather than red fruit, earthy, quite floral as well with herby notes…in the palate it's about the black berry fruit, with a touch of oak, quite dense, savoury and quite broad. Better than I remember this being. It's quite pleasant on this outing though probably a little too much for me.
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13.4% ABV, tasted at 15 degree from Riedel Sommelier Burgundy glass, popped and poured.
Very seductive nose, aromas of ripe red fruit, a hint of spice, dried tea leaves. Medium bodied, dark cherry transitioning to a savoury twist at the end, fine-boned acidity and a touch of grip from tannins, good length; classy.
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Burn Cottage and Charteris dinner (Hughenden hotel): Cedar, perfumed notes again, stalks, minor sandalwood over black fruit and an almost slightly sour note. In the mouth it's dense and thick with drying tannins over blackberry and spice. Hmm, again is time required?
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Wine Maker's Dinner: Burn Cottage and Valli Vineyards (Ostro Brasserie and Bar, Auckland, New Zealand): Drunk next to the Valli Burn Cottage Pinot Noir 2014 (smh vineyard, different winemakers), this came across as the tighter and more focused of the two wines, with slightly less alcohol and a slightly higher ph. Less obvious new oak, cooler ferment and an earlier pick date (10 days) has resulted in a more linear and less obvious wine than the Valli rendition. To be fair, with wines are outstanding and the Valli could well appeal to more people, but for me, this slightly more reserved style is my preference. It was interesting to see that (for my tastes) the winemaker who works with their own fruit made the more complete wine.
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A little bit lighter, less serious and more open for business than I remember the 2013 being. Some (well-integrated) stalky green notes at first, with some jasmine, cherry syrup and flowery/perfumed aromas following. Showing good complexity at this stage. Texturally delicate palate, with flavours predominantly of sour cherry and vanilla bean. Some light wood tannin on the back palate, which lingers on the finish. Acidity needs time to integrate but with the right food there's no reason to not drink this now (with a light decant).
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3/6/2024 - chatters wrote:
First Wednesday Wine Club (Bella Puglia, Five Dock): "Served blind.
Ripe, rich, red berry fruit, vegetal green notes, sweet spice and alcohol prickle. Medium plus intensity acidity, drying tannins, alcohol warmth, grippy tannins, cumbersome. Bad bottle?
I thought this might be something south american?"
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8/10/2022 - Cake & Fine Wine wrote: 94 Points
Serious label - tattoo material. Really awesome wine too. This is a rich and rambunctious pinot which merits a hearty meal. More black fruit then red, ripe cherry, well blended oak. Eight years and at a perfect spot - I drank the 2014 at three years and was less impressed (tasted a bit green). Imo these need a bit of age.
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3/4/2022 - kiwiwinegirl Likes this wine: 91 Points
Classic Central pinot - cherry notes with earthy and thyme notes. Medium + body, medium acid and medium tannins. Round, and slightly chalky palate with a lovely finish. Could easily go another 3-5years and be in it's 'sweet spot'.
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10/5/2021 - Vasily Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nice bouquet of flowers and fruit, especially cherry when first opened. Very smooth and soft with nice fruit/berry palate. Balanced without excessive sweetness.
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8/25/2021 - pjhr Likes this wine: 93 Points
As delicious as the last bottle!
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2/28/2021 - K&J Likes this wine: 93 Points
Improving with age and also improves with air after initial cork pop (3 days!).
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2/26/2021 - cweiss Likes this wine:
Lovely cherry fruit, bright acidity, some minerality. A very nice, well-balanced wine. Pretty on opening but more to it after a couple of hours in the decanter. The combo of sweet fruit and acidity made it a good match for duck bigarade. The leftover was still bright after a couple of days in the fridge. Drink or hold. Based on a single visit, nice people too.
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11/21/2020 - pjhr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Coming together beautifully with a more open nose, expressive fruit, and weight on the palate.
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11/20/2020 - Psdycp wrote: 90 Points
Forward notes of redcurrant and plums, savoury meat, aniseed spices and leather. Good intensity of fresh and spiced red fruits. Lacking some degree of silky texture and complexity of the best Pinots from Central Otago. Transitions from the medium bodied mid-palate to finish is seamless. Can still keep for a few more years for the tannins to fully integrate into the structure.
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9/8/2020 - RoyaltyCoins wrote: 94 Points
Pale garnet, tawny rim
Nose: Warm sandalwood, dried black cherry, potting soil, garrigue notes.
Mouth: Black cherry, black currant, and black plum notes glide through, accented by white pepper, baking spice, and notes of thyme and lavender. Has a distinctly herbal edge into the midpalate, giving this a memorable flavor profile and a hint of structure as well. Tannins at this stage are extremely light, melted in completely, but the acidity remains, giving this a spine as everything rolls through on the extended finish.
Overall: Delicate but still juicy, even after 6 years from harvest, this is unique, with good complexity and confident structure that scales in flavor over time. Has a few more years in the tank at time of writing, but don't let it go beyond 2024 or else end up losing the fruit. A winner all in all. Drink now - 2023
94.
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3/20/2020 - pjhr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Delicious red cherry and strawberry on the nose and palate with earth, minerals and lively acidity on the moderate finish. Should improve with more age.
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1/3/2020 - I1bearup Likes this wine: 90 Points
Solid wine. Not too hyped on it but enjoyed it.
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7/27/2019 - cweiss Likes this wine:
Purchased at the Winery. Correct medium pale in color. On the nose cherry, the ever popular “minerals” and the palate follows with the addition of just a little sous bois. Excellent acid. Somewhere between new world and old, and a lovely bottle. Drink or hold a few years.
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4/27/2019 - Mnawacki Likes this wine: 92 Points
One of the best examples of pinot in my cellar. Gave it about an hour in the glass to warm up and open, very silky and lush, big round strawberry and cherry fruit. Everything is enjoyable about this wine, the nose, the finish. Well made, will improve further with additional aging so will be curious to check in on this again in a couple of years.
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3/30/2019 - Puligny33 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Good NZ Pinot; apart from Felton Road as good as I’ve had. Smooth red fruits and some earth. Drinking well and probably has another 5 years to go?
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2/26/2019 - greydog Likes this wine: 92 Points
Fabulous example of sophisticated melding of earth, fruit.
Soft finish with great mouth feel. Burn cottage was a recommendation provided to me and I thank them every day.
A more robust and complex pinot than many Californians
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1/20/2019 - shellylowen Likes this wine: 93 Points
Earthy floral nose, dusty/silky tannins, lots of cherries dancing on your tongue, long sour cherry finish.
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12/18/2018 - Papies wrote: 92 Points
A very nice surprise and the first time we come across this estate. Much like their Riesling/Gruner Veltliner that we tried along on this occasion ( Papies 92) this showed off quality winemaking with a soft hand and restraint.
New world Pinot is not our thing but here we had to give it to the estate that this very solid. Granted it's riper and darker than Pinot from old world but was very subtle , in balance and with a harmony. Soft wine , 13.4 Alc, well round, silky and very enjoyable. Very solid wine and a very good 91+92. A Softer Calera style Pinot.
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8/31/2018 - jmottern Likes this wine: 91 Points
Medium body pinot that needs an hour to open up. Blackberry and plum fruit with a hint of licorice. Excellent finish that is a pleasure.
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8/23/2018 - Mnawacki Likes this wine: 91 Points
First of the case for me...lovely wine, still pretty high acidity but really opens up after about an hour. Lush, silky, big fruit. Very well made.
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8/1/2018 - caesarfetner wrote:
Needs solid 30 to open up. Berry but high in acidity.
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5/15/2018 - winexu Likes this wine: 91 Points
nice aroma and very fresh on the pallate at the beginning. Later on, becoming more heavy with longer finish
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3/10/2018 - Grinner wrote: 91 Points
PHMG WAG: Oregon vs. the World (Chez Lyon in Eugene, OR): An emphasis on ripe fruit with more plum, cherry, and blackberry than the Elk Cove. BUT less interesting overall in its blind pair and lost 4 to 7. It fell off a little more on day 2 as well. Now-2020
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2/25/2018 - Collector1855 wrote: 86 Points
Medium purple. Hot and hollow is the summary. Starts with black and blue fruit, licorice, oak spices, makes a promise of a cold masceratiin, fuller style without being oxidative on the positive side. The palate then is rather thin, alcoholic, Grenache like finish. Pinot anyone? Back to the drawingboard it is for this team.
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1/1/2018 - K&J Likes this wine: 93 Points
Probably one of the best New Zealand Pinots around. True to the New Zealand style of Pinot but with more fruit.
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12/7/2017 - bravo.solares Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful wine. Should age for 5-10 yrs. Very good structure - some tannins, fruit, acid. Lovely red fruit, rose petals, earthiness, acid, minerality. This wine has it all. My bet is this will become simply tremendous if cellared for at least 5 or 6 yrs. A joy to have Olivia pour for us and talk about their wines when visiting Burn Cottage’s wine-making facility in Cromwell.
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8/13/2017 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 93 Points
The nose showed crushed raspberry, smoke, and minerals. On the palate, I found zesty textures with savory-salty minerals, red berries and spice. It finished long, satisfying and fresh.
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4/8/2017 - rossi.wine wrote: 93 Points
Tasted alongside 2014 Moonlight Race. A bit denser, firmer with more length. Again very elegant, but a bit young. 92-93+
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3/22/2017 - kostaslonis Likes this wine: 93 Points
New Zealand Pinot Noir Tasting (Oinoscent): The wine needs time in the glass, its much spicier, clove, nutmeg, there is a ripe black fruit core in the glass, the spice is the main element, there is an oak frame, feels quite tight still.
In the palate, the wine shows the same profile as the nose, ripe red fruit, smoky, spicy, tight, nice acidity, med body, long finish, needs time
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3/20/2017 - Yorgos Likes this wine: 92 Points
Slightly shy nose of dark cherries, violets, sweet spice, in an oaky/earthy frame. Medium bodied with balancing acidity, less sweet and better balanced than the moonlight with lingering finish. Delectable.
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1/16/2017 - kostaslonis Likes this wine: 92 Points
New Zealand London Annual Trade Tasting (Lindley Hall, Royal Horticultural Halls): Rich red fruit, sweet spices and ripeness all around, some floral notes, very rich and attractive profile.
The palate shows richness, clean red fruit, nice acidity and oak treatment, attractive, tasty, offering complexity, smooth tannins with long finish.
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12/5/2016 - rikipedia Likes this wine: 89 Points
Terroir-istes International - New Zealand Pinot Noir (Klein Constantia): (Tasted Blind): A light+ ruby colour. Aromas of toffee, rhubarb, and strawberry - challenging to place. A rich, juicy palate entry with a touch of white pepper and herb offers a friendly fleshy core of fruits with squashed raspberry and strawberry well-balanced with lively acidity and firm yet sweet tannins. It is a good wine with decent length and integrated alcohol. It closes with that caramel that detracts, but overall, I liked the wine.
Biodynamic wine
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11/7/2016 - ronnieroots Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very impressed with this. Beautiful core of dark cherry fruit, with plenty of spice and dried herbs (wild thyme), and well-integrated nuances of oak. It's ripe and obvious, but with a clear mineral focus to bind it all together.
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10/30/2016 - Yiannis Likes this wine: 91 Points
Medium garnet with ruby hues. Attractive nose with obvious Pinot Noir character. Spicy, floral with vibrant fruit, silky tannins and bright acidity. Med+ aftertaste. Elegant and absolutely enjoyable.
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8/17/2016 - K&J Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pretty awesome New Zealand pinot!
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7/30/2016 - chatters wrote:
Cellarhand Icon Tasting 2016 (Prince Sydney, 40 Hansard Street): Black rather than red fruit, earthy, quite floral as well with herby notes…in the palate it's about the black berry fruit, with a touch of oak, quite dense, savoury and quite broad. Better than I remember this being. It's quite pleasant on this outing though probably a little too much for me.
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7/13/2016 - lightning wrote: 91 Points
13.4% ABV, tasted at 15 degree from Riedel Sommelier Burgundy glass, popped and poured.
Very seductive nose, aromas of ripe red fruit, a hint of spice, dried tea leaves. Medium bodied, dark cherry transitioning to a savoury twist at the end, fine-boned acidity and a touch of grip from tannins, good length; classy.
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5/24/2016 - chatters wrote:
Burn Cottage and Charteris dinner (Hughenden hotel): Cedar, perfumed notes again, stalks, minor sandalwood over black fruit and an almost slightly sour note. In the mouth it's dense and thick with drying tannins over blackberry and spice. Hmm, again is time required?
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3/10/2016 - Marc wrote: 91 Points
Wine Maker's Dinner: Burn Cottage and Valli Vineyards (Ostro Brasserie and Bar, Auckland, New Zealand): Drunk next to the Valli Burn Cottage Pinot Noir 2014 (smh vineyard, different winemakers), this came across as the tighter and more focused of the two wines, with slightly less alcohol and a slightly higher ph. Less obvious new oak, cooler ferment and an earlier pick date (10 days) has resulted in a more linear and less obvious wine than the Valli rendition. To be fair, with wines are outstanding and the Valli could well appeal to more people, but for me, this slightly more reserved style is my preference. It was interesting to see that (for my tastes) the winemaker who works with their own fruit made the more complete wine.
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12/5/2015 - Milliontown wrote: 92 Points
A little bit lighter, less serious and more open for business than I remember the 2013 being. Some (well-integrated) stalky green notes at first, with some jasmine, cherry syrup and flowery/perfumed aromas following. Showing good complexity at this stage.
Texturally delicate palate, with flavours predominantly of sour cherry and vanilla bean.
Some light wood tannin on the back palate, which lingers on the finish. Acidity needs time to integrate but with the right food there's no reason to not drink this now (with a light decant).
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