Light ruby in glass. Rhubarb, barnyard, wet wool, sweat and cloves. Medium plus intensity on the nose. Medium acidity and medium minus tannins. Very complex and quite developed.
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Not sure whats happening here, but it was so sweet it was pretty much undrinkable with food, and lacked both structure and complexity, yet it was under screw cap so not faulty. Love their chardonnays though!
2019 Visit to North Canterbury, NZ: This site on an expansive, east-facing slope with - what were described as - "strong, beautifully structured soils" of 30% clay and around 15% active limestone. From a site at around 300 metres above sea level. No whole bunch. The warmest vineyard in the Home Vineyards, seeing the morning sun. A maximum of about 10% new oak only. Deeper, darker coloured. A more brooding, structured, darker fruited, mineral bouquet with some bonfire smoke. In the mouth, largely black berries and cherries, dry earth, dry underbrush and smoky barbequed meats. Powerful but intense with bright acidity. My preferred of the two pinots.
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Some funkiness, some wholebunch characters. Juicy and rich, wildly aromatic. Crushed flowers, hawthorn, intense red currant and blackcherry mingling with farmyard, florest flowers and deep minerality.
This is so delicious that you end up finishing the whole bottle - always the case with Earth Smoke amd Angel Flowers.
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Burgundy against the rest of the world (PK-huset): Somewhat brown edges, looks older than it is. Quite transparent. Overripe strawberries, somewhat sweet, spicy and not balanced. Wild. This was my least favorite wine of the tasting and it was still very interesting and absolutely drinkable, just slightly odd compared to the rest of the line up.
Not really recommended, given the price tag.
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New Zealand Trip: This needed some air to come out of its shell and opened up. This has a very stinky and vegetal character which not everybody will like. Highlights are the finesse and great interplay of pure sweet fruit and well-defined minerality. In the end it is a bit too vegetal and stinky to be more than intellectually appealing.
TN: On the nose lots of vegetal aromas, some funky notes, rather dark fruit, sous bois with medium+ intensity and medium- precision. At first lactic on the palate but that goes away with some air. Beautiful red fruit (cherries and strawberries), vegetal notes, hints of sous bois, crushed rocks and some smoke on the palate. Good concentration with medium-length fruit- and mineral-driven finish. Very fine tannins, bright but perfectly integrated acidity. Overall just medium- complexity, and medium precision and not the pure fine aromas I like, too vegetal, too stinky.
Decanting: One hour in the decanter is needed.
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2019 Birthday wines: A bottle drunk with Mark. Under screwcap. Garnet but slighty clouded. A pungent, perfumed bouquet of dried herbs, spices, fresh and dried largely black fruit, tobacco, clay and minerals. Lovely meadow flower aromatics. In the mouth, lighter weight than the nose suggests. Still, excellent definition and focus. Blackberries, cherries, herbs and earth with some saline minerality. Good power and sufficient volume and weight. Savoury nuance. Excellent - typical - sparkling Pyramid Valley Home Vineyard acidity. A delicious North Canterbury pinot noir. Drinking well now, on its plateau for the next 10+ years, I'd think. A top quality cool climate pinot.
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As perfumed and open as the Angel flower 16, both exihibits pronounce foral, hawthorn, wild red berries and sour cherry. Earth Smoke is however slightly more mineral, (salty, wet stone like) and more smoky and spicy. And it has a bit more focus and concentration too.
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Opened and just got better and better. Tad restrained on the nose but eventually opened the next day. Strong colour with some cloudiness. Really close to a good young burgundy. Be interesting to see how it ages. I m shocked at how good NZ pinots have gotten
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8/21/2022 - Es7e2003 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Light ruby in glass. Rhubarb, barnyard, wet wool, sweat and cloves. Medium plus intensity on the nose. Medium acidity and medium minus tannins. Very complex and quite developed.
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6/24/2022 - jmoon Does not like this wine: 88 Points
Not sure whats happening here, but it was so sweet it was pretty much undrinkable with food, and lacked both structure and complexity, yet it was under screw cap so not faulty. Love their chardonnays though!
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12/28/2021 - HowardNZ Likes this wine:
2019 Visit to North Canterbury, NZ: This site on an expansive, east-facing slope with - what were described as - "strong, beautifully structured soils" of 30% clay and around 15% active limestone. From a site at around 300 metres above sea level. No whole bunch. The warmest vineyard in the Home Vineyards, seeing the morning sun. A maximum of about 10% new oak only. Deeper, darker coloured. A more brooding, structured, darker fruited, mineral bouquet with some bonfire smoke. In the mouth, largely black berries and cherries, dry earth, dry underbrush and smoky barbequed meats. Powerful but intense with bright acidity. My preferred of the two pinots.
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9/18/2021 - Chair Likes this wine: 92 Points
Distinctive, reflecting a unique terroir. Low-intervention taste profile, a bit cloudy. Very good.
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4/11/2021 - wineappellation Likes this wine: 94 Points
Some funkiness, some wholebunch characters. Juicy and rich, wildly aromatic. Crushed flowers, hawthorn, intense red currant and blackcherry mingling with farmyard, florest flowers and deep minerality.
This is so delicious that you end up finishing the whole bottle - always the case with Earth Smoke amd Angel Flowers.
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2/22/2020 - Omar Khayyam wrote:
Burgundy against the rest of the world (PK-huset): Somewhat brown edges, looks older than it is. Quite transparent. Overripe strawberries, somewhat sweet, spicy and not balanced. Wild. This was my least favorite wine of the tasting and it was still very interesting and absolutely drinkable, just slightly odd compared to the rest of the line up.
Not really recommended, given the price tag.
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1/20/2020 - Cailles wrote: 92 Points
New Zealand Trip: This needed some air to come out of its shell and opened up. This has a very stinky and vegetal character which not everybody will like. Highlights are the finesse and great interplay of pure sweet fruit and well-defined minerality. In the end it is a bit too vegetal and stinky to be more than intellectually appealing.
TN: On the nose lots of vegetal aromas, some funky notes, rather dark fruit, sous bois with medium+ intensity and medium- precision. At first lactic on the palate but that goes away with some air. Beautiful red fruit (cherries and strawberries), vegetal notes, hints of sous bois, crushed rocks and some smoke on the palate. Good concentration with medium-length fruit- and mineral-driven finish. Very fine tannins, bright but perfectly integrated acidity. Overall just medium- complexity, and medium precision and not the pure fine aromas I like, too vegetal, too stinky.
Decanting: One hour in the decanter is needed.
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11/2/2019 - HowardNZ Likes this wine: 94 Points
2019 Birthday wines: A bottle drunk with Mark. Under screwcap. Garnet but slighty clouded. A pungent, perfumed bouquet of dried herbs, spices, fresh and dried largely black fruit, tobacco, clay and minerals. Lovely meadow flower aromatics. In the mouth, lighter weight than the nose suggests. Still, excellent definition and focus. Blackberries, cherries, herbs and earth with some saline minerality. Good power and sufficient volume and weight. Savoury nuance. Excellent - typical - sparkling Pyramid Valley Home Vineyard acidity. A delicious North Canterbury pinot noir. Drinking well now, on its plateau for the next 10+ years, I'd think. A top quality cool climate pinot.
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10/22/2019 - wineappellation Likes this wine: 94 Points
As perfumed and open as the Angel flower 16, both exihibits pronounce foral, hawthorn, wild red berries and sour cherry. Earth Smoke is however slightly more mineral, (salty, wet stone like) and more smoky and spicy. And it has a bit more focus and concentration too.
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6/20/2019 - LB88 wrote: 93 Points
Opened and just got better and better. Tad restrained on the nose but eventually opened the next day. Strong colour with some cloudiness. Really close to a good young burgundy. Be interesting to see how it ages. I m shocked at how good NZ pinots have gotten
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