Community Tasting Notes 10

• HowardNZ Likes this wine: 93 points

  April 21, 2022 - Recent wines drunk at home: Drunk from Zalto Denk'Art Burgundy glass over three evenings, during which it did not change. Larry McKenna’s Escarpment Wines regards – and prices – its Te Muna Road, Martinborough Kupe as its top pinot noir cuvée. Most vintages I have preferred Larry’s Kiwa, from older vines on a site on the Martinborough Terraces, over the Kupe. The 2008 however is a top vintage for Kupe – perhaps only a little below their best, the majestic 2016 Kupe – apparently the result of the typically cooler, damper Te Muna terroir meeting the warmer 2008 vintage.
  
  Under cork, in perfect condition. Colour deep ruby, moving ochre at the rim. A bouquet showing old leather, raspberry and red cherry. A palate of clay with touches of leather. Savoury, earthy and herbal. Sous bois, mushrooms and dark cherries (more black than red). Typical Martinborough bramble. Fully dry. Vibrant, persistent acidity, yet with plenty of fully ripe, dark berry fruit. Oak and stems now largely integrated, but with a little tannic grip still present. Moderate alcohol (12.5% ABV). Weight, power and structure, but quite seamless. In its prime now. Drink by about 2028. 93+.

  Comment

• Derek Darth Taster wrote: 92 points

  January 12, 2019 - Davyd Bday dinner at Feng Shui inn. Cork closure. Pop and poured. Drank over 1.5 hours.
  Appearance is clear, pale intensity, ruby colour. Legs.
  Nose is clean, medium+ intensiity, with aromas of cranberries, dark red cherries, red licorice, sweet baking spices, rose petal, perfumed herbal stems, dark soil. Developing.
  On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium- alcohol (12.5%), ultra-smooth low tannins, medium body. Medium+ flavour intensity, wth flavours of cranberries, concentrated sweet dark red cherries, red licorice, sweet baking spices, wet soil minerality. Long finish.
  Very good quality. Very drinkable already now, but still lots of primary elements that suggest that this can still develop over the next few years.
  Kupe is a high density plot within the Te Muna Road vineyard.

  Comment

• rednick@internode.on.net wrote:

  August 31, 2014 - Excellent, perfumed nose - great depth of fruit with superb texture and then followed with savoury earth mushroom characters and splashes of acid and oak - good length and a superb effort all round - 4 fingers - bang in it's window and no signs of falling apart over 3 hours

  Comment

• Bearbus wrote:

  March 17, 2013 - replacement for corked bottle: this almost smells corked too - bizarre, can it be or is it just the oak profile? Stewed berries, sour acidity, slightly bitter too. Weird. Think I like this even less than the Tiger! Though it has a more savoury palate with some nice drying (though not too astringent) tannins - slightly silty-gritty, a slight turning leaf autumnal edge. I conclude this is mildly corked. Does not make me want to buy Escarpment again

  Comment

• rednick@internode.on.net wrote:

  January 12, 2013 - Savoury nose, pretty fruit with some weight - great sous bois - drinking very well but still has a couple of years upside to it

  Comment

Pro Reviews 1

Wine Definition

• Vintage 2008
• Type Red
• Producer Escarpment
• Varietal Pinot Noir
• Designation Kupe
• Vineyard n/a
• Country New Zealand
• Region North Island
• SubRegion Wairarapa
• Appellation Martinborough

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 0 (0%)
• In Cellars 37 (34%)
• Consumed 71 (66%)

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