I have indulged in a few older pinot noirs from the cellar over the holiday period, so I enjoyed the chance to taste through this wonderful selection of current release wines from Central Otago as the reward is there if you want to broach them now, yet the potential was clear to see if you did tuck them away in the cellar. If we believe the statistics, the vast majority of wine purchased is opened within the week, so drinkability off the bat is imperative, but it is also nice to know that rewards await if you have the patience to tuck wines away! 2024 Maude Poison Creek Central Otago Pinot Noir Price RRP $50 Rating Excellent Attractive nose, spice notes lead, raspberry to the fore, smoke and graphite, dusty gravels. Brimming with fruit, raspberry again, perhaps a little redcurrant, interplay between spice and herb, good structure in support. Youthful, bold and bright yet plays the medium- weight card so nicely, already in good form, potential too as it puts on weight. Lovely aromatics, so Central. www.maudewines.com 2024 Monte Christo Bannockburn Pinot Noir Price RRP $95 Rating Excellent to outstanding Darker fruits jostle with florality, a brooding quality, hints of marmitey umami. A sense of tautnesss and tension, darker fruits, stony nuances, ripe fruit yet drier through the palate as the tannins get into gear. Lip-smacking with attractive chewiness on the close. A juicy, almost crunchy quality, lively, great balance, long finish, speaks of potential but already very engaging. www.montechristowinery.co.nz 2022 Dicey Bannockburn Pinot Noir Price RRP $48 Rating Excellent More driven by florality than fruit, subtlety yet beguiling. Hints of development, gentle earthy/mushroomy/ forest floor hints, spice notes building with air. If you’re seeking a ballsy fruit bomb, look away, this is all about pinosity and refinement. Dried strawberry and red berries on the nose now, spices, the palate growing with air yet this is still more about elegance rather than heft. www.dicey.nz 2023 Gibbston Valley China Terrace Bendigo Pinot Noir Price RRP $75 Rating Excellent to outstanding Savoury/umami elements leap from the glass, dusty minerality, brooding initially, as it takes on air rose petal florals, mixed red and dark fruits. Blueberry, perhaps plum, savoury nuances, graphite, a fine acid line and a long, long dry close as the tannins get to work. Deceptive power under the hood here, this is complex and very nicely assured. www.gibbstonvalley.com 2022 Doctors Flat Bannockburn Pinot Noir Price RRP $65 Rating Outstanding Powerful nose, a fascinating sense of wildness, flecks of humus and tilled earth, smoke, savoury nuances, wild herb, more about overall complexity than the fruit. Darker fruits more evident on the palate, great acidity and tannic grip, neatly combines complexity, potential and yet drinkability. A more burgundian nose than Central, now wild rose. Layers of flavour, super stuff that begs another glass. www.doctorsflat.co.nz 2024 Maude Mohawk Hill Central Otago Pinot Noir Price RRP $50 Rating Excellent Fruit pastille, rose petal, almost hinting at turkish delight, dusty, spices a touch of oak char, pencil lead/tar. Raspberry, raspberry, raspberry, then touches of wild strawberry, fruits of the forest. The fruit is the signature for now accentuating its youthful side, yet there’s structure to burn. Revelling in its youth, the nose now tightens a little, drink now for the fruit or hold for complexity. www.maudewines.com 2024 Monte Christo Alexandra Pinot Noir Price RRP $95 Rating Excellent Primal, initially all about the whole, air teases out the nuances, darker fruits, ink, umami aspects, florality, wild rose, it all starts coming in waves, drawing you back for more. A crunchy, fresh, zesty quality to the palate, berry fruits more to the fore now, tar and earthy aspects joining in, with good structured and backbone. Fruit sweetness more evident now, yet still dry on the close. www.montechristowinery.co.nz 2023 Domaine Thomson Surveyor Thomson Central Otago Pinot Noir Price RRP $55 Rating Excellent to outstanding A touch of funk/ wildness, moving to savoury, spice and wild herb notes, the fruit in support, florality now. The darker fruits are there on the palate, the foundation for the acidity and powerful tannins, there’s real structure here crying out for time, or robust food now. As it takes on air there’s humus and florality, red fruits and herb, the powerfully chewy structure showing its intent. www.domainethomsonwines.com
