March 9, 2024 - Has not improved with age!
July 14, 2019 - Popped and poured, this wine was translucent light red and tasted rather simple, despite having had 6 years to age. But improved every day after being recorked and put back in the refrigerator. By day 4 the wine was dark, complex, fruity, layered, silky, and highly satisfying, as one would hope from a single vineyard in Central Otago in the South Island of New Zealand.
January 11, 2019 - (Previoulsy tasted on 12-31-2016)
100% Pinot Noir from Biodynamic Demeter Certified Bendigo Estate vineyard
with sandy loam soil at 217 – 264m and 20-yr old vines (clones 10/5, 5, 115, 667, 777 & Abel).
Manual harvest. Batch vinification by clone. 5-7 days cold soak. Indigenous yeast fermentation.
Up to 12 days maceration. Pressed directly into French oak barriques (24% new, 33% 1 year old and 43% older).
14% Abv.
Winemaker: Rudi Bauer, Royal Agricultural Society New Zealand winemaker of the year 1999 and 2010.
A(ccuracy)=2: Medium deep bright ruby. Focused, refined, New World varietal.
B(alance) =3: Seamlessly integrated components.
C(omplexity)=2: Bing cherry, black raspberry, violet, lavender, mocha,and soft, resolved tannin.
D(epth) = 2: Excellent length and finish for the varietal.
WineTally Score [2,3,2,2]=9/10
The 2-yr additional bottle aging paid off: with rough edges all smoothed out!
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December 30, 2017 - Last bottle. Same dark ruby color and medium body. Same minerality competing with the fruit. Love the savoriness. Paired beautifully with the mushroom risotto and skirt steak w/ cilantro chimichurri. But later in the evening, when the fats of the risotto and the beef were not there, the finish is very drying. Not at all sure it’s getting better as it ages.
April 18, 2017 - "Quartz Reef": minerality. That's what makes this delicious pinot noir different.
December 31, 2016 - A biodynamic single vineyard Pinot Noir by Rudi Bauer, Royal Agricultural Society New Zealand winemaker of the year 2010.
A(ccuracy)=2: Medium deep bright ruby. Focused bing cherry, black raspberry, violet, lavender, mocha, new World varietal.
B(alance) =2: Seamlessly integrated components, perhaps bit sharp and heady at 14%Abv.
C(omplexity)=2: Packed with dark fruits and soft tannin without excessive oak.
D(epth) = 2: Excellent length and finish for the varietal.
WineTally Score [2,2,2,2]=8/10
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October 9, 2016 - Pinotpalooza (Carriageworks, Redfern): muted, meaty, flack fruit spectrum, cream, worked…savoury and drying, extracted and overdone, yawn.
August 22, 2016 - Deep ruby color; medium bodied. Red fruit and spices on the nose and the slightly mineral palate. Lean and structured, rather than soft and luscious. Tannins on their way to integrating--not intrusive. Paired with Thai red lentil soup.
May 31, 2016 - Also noted 11-22-15. Same wine but better impression because no surprises, so liked it better this time. It's an interesting and somewhat "different" pinot, in a positive way.
November 22, 2015 - Soft nose, light/med weight, more mineral than fruit, med tannic finish. Overall middling impression, but the fruit/mineral profile is a differentiator, and along with the tannic finish makes for easy pairing with wood-fire grilled fish or fowl. It's not clear to me how time in the bottle will enhance this light/med wine: if the tannins soften, is there enough left to carry it? PS Judging by the pro and other CT notes, this bottle may be flawed.