Last bottle from a half case. Gentle sweet cherry and smoky nose. Huge sweet long finish has now come together more and lost the touch of bitterness. Four years ago I thought this was a Burgundy beater but my scores then declined steadily from an initial 93. Over the last couple of years it has started to improve again. Excellent now and will keep drinking well for some years.
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2019 Visit to North Canterbury, NZ: Under screwcap. Chosen from the restaurant list of older vintages. Like in Central Otago, 2012 is one of the top vintages in North Canterbury this decade. This was a lovely pinot, still relatively fruit-driven and primary, but with a touch of complexity-adding development. Good ruby with some ochre at the rim. More evolved-seeming on bouquet. Blackberries, dark cherries, dark spices and black plums with touches of smoke, tobacco leaf and violets. In the mouth, still fairly young-seeming, but with just enough development. Some of the dark fruit had a dried character and there was some leather, brushwood and earth. Elegant and detailed. "Nice line and length", said Gavin. A great match for my truffled duck. I'm sure this wine will continue to improve until about 2023 - 2024, at least.
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4th bottle from a half case. Gentle sweet cherry and smoky nose. Petillant at first. Huge sweet long finish now strangely developing some bitterness. Two years ago I thought this was a Burgundy beater but my scores have declined steadily from an initial 93, whereas a good village burgundy would improve at this age. I can only hope that this will turn a corner and start to improve again.
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11/17/2023 - wineforth Likes this wine: 91 Points
Last bottle from a half case. Gentle sweet cherry and smoky nose. Huge sweet long finish has now come together more and lost the touch of bitterness. Four years ago I thought this was a Burgundy beater but my scores then declined steadily from an initial 93. Over the last couple of years it has started to improve again. Excellent now and will keep drinking well for some years.
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8/30/2023 - HarveyManfrenjensenden Likes this wine: 92 Points
Delightful pinot in prime drinking window. Slightly Spicey elements. Very enjoyable
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12/28/2021 - HowardNZ Likes this wine: 92 Points
2019 Visit to North Canterbury, NZ: Under screwcap. Chosen from the restaurant list of older vintages. Like in Central Otago, 2012 is one of the top vintages in North Canterbury this decade. This was a lovely pinot, still relatively fruit-driven and primary, but with a touch of complexity-adding development. Good ruby with some ochre at the rim. More evolved-seeming on bouquet. Blackberries, dark cherries, dark spices and black plums with touches of smoke, tobacco leaf and violets. In the mouth, still fairly young-seeming, but with just enough development. Some of the dark fruit had a dried character and there was some leather, brushwood and earth. Elegant and detailed. "Nice line and length", said Gavin. A great match for my truffled duck. I'm sure this wine will continue to improve until about 2023 - 2024, at least.
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11/25/2021 - wineforth wrote: 90 Points
4th bottle from a half case. Gentle sweet cherry and smoky nose. Petillant at first. Huge sweet long finish now strangely developing some bitterness. Two years ago I thought this was a Burgundy beater but my scores have declined steadily from an initial 93, whereas a good village burgundy would improve at this age. I can only hope that this will turn a corner and start to improve again.
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3/29/2021 - bobadopolis Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank this over 3 nights. Way exceeded expectations. Excellent each night. Drink now or hold.
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