September 24, 2010 - I paired with grilled Samom and this wine was delicious. This Pinot is gentle with nice acidity and aromatic. smooth finish!
I highly recommended!
November 30, 2009 - Dark red, almost opaque. Nose of dark red fruits, some spice and herbs; inviting. Taste of ripe raspberry and blackberry fruit, long spicy finish. Quite powerful, lacks elegance.
March 21, 2009 - interesting wine - earthly aromas, nice tasting light tart, berry flavours. not a long lingering finish. but was expected a little more.
February 9, 2009 - My feeling is that pinot is essentially an earthy, fleshy grape and I am so grateful when I find a wine that brings out that aspect of the grape. This bottle showed so well in that vein and as well as being a well balanced wine. Nice deep flavors on the nose; candied cherry / kirsch w/ bacon spice and an earthy funkyness that is welcome. On the palate; a lot of fruit, a lot of volume - the flavors follow w/ a solid pinot profile and the earthy fleshy elements that I like so much in a pinot. Overall; balance, good acidity, lingering finish, good value.
February 8, 2009 - OK marks for this bottle but have come to find out that there seems to be a great deal of bottle variance with what is left of the 2005 vintage. This bottle: Medium garnet and opaque at the edges. Strawberry, cherry (a burnt candied cherry sort of) and note of wild herb on the nose. Medium body with a somewhat astringent side where there should more of a showing of fruit. There is a flavor profile but it is fading here I think. Mild tannins and good acidity. Tart medium finish. (See next bottle note)
April 30, 2008 - Beautiful expression of the PN grape. Fragrant nose. Earthy dark cherry flavors.
December 6, 2007 - not your average pinot noir.this has a dark cherry colour. full body flavors..i am buying another 6 bottles and holding for 2-4 years.
September 22, 2007 - The color is black, with purple around the edges. The nose is classic pinot, but with a hint of sea brine, suspended foggy clouds and lichens. The palate is pinot, but deep, rich and almost zinfandel-like on the finish. There is a richness here that includes some coffee grounds, and muted clay earth. There is a tad bit of bitterness mixed in with the dark fruit. The richness and zin-qualities makes me conclude or opine that this would be a great wine to cellar for 5-years or more. The complexity is here to age, and it almost needs some settle-down, and mellow-out time. Its a big pinot -- very un-Oregon-like, and more Burgundy-like, but not purely. Kind of a mixture. This is so rich that I had to pop some popcorn with salt and butter to cut the thickness and richness of the deep coffee/cherry liquor. Yes, this needs time. Too early, unless you want a headache the next day. Wait on it for at least 5 more years. Could be great if the slight bitterness evaporates.
July 30, 2007 - I have finally found a NZ Pinot Noir that lives up to the hype! Almost all of the island Pinots I have tasted have resembled cherry juice - sweet, light-bodied, and depressingly short on the finish. My first encounter with the Spy Valley Pinot Noir was during December 2006. The wine had been opened for at least two days and was earthy, intense, and full of dark fruit flavors. Today, I lightly chilled a bottle and cracked the screw-top. The wine was medium-bodied, bright in acidity and red fruits, and deceptively dark in color. The finish was long and clean, although the acidity made it feel a little nervous. After a couple of hours, the wine transformed from a "PG" Family Channel delight into a "PG-13" A & E mystery. The fruit hinted at something darker, more sinister, without ever becoming. I will taste it again tomorrow and see if it bears stronger resemblance to my first experience with the Pinot...
July 6, 2007 - Dark purple in color. Hints of spice on the nose with dark fruits (black cherry and plum) on the palate. Excellent balance with a medium finish.