Mark Henderson and fellow tasters sample some pinot noir.
My tasting trio was re-united today. Mr Mac has been away for his customary stint working the harvest in Bannockburn, while Sarge was visiting wineries in the Yarra Valley.
Clearly, both have been keeping up their wine studies. They were welcomed back to an octet of delicious Central Otago pinots covering several subregions.
A fascinating undercurrent here with the Valli Pinot made from Burn Cottage fruit alongside the Burn Cottage wine.
Is the land the defining character, or the winemaker's hand? For me, for now, the latter wins the day.
Price: $38
Rating: Very good to excellent
Sweetly fruited nose with cherry, dried strawberry and spices. Juicy cranberries in the mouth give a tangy mid-palate lift before darker fruits become evident.
A little tight and chewy at first but this opens up considerably, the wine fleshing out and showing a nice balance of fruit weight, concentration and drinkability.
Price: $39
Rating: Excellent to outstanding
A little shy at first, showing darker fruits, lavender and sweet florals with time. Intensity here, a little brooding, yet with freshness and energy. The cherry fruit builds with fine tannic grip underpinning it.
This opens up beautifully with time, showing lovely balance and finish.
Youthful still but very rewarding.
Price: $45
Rating: Excellent
Dark and brooding; savoury and earthy at first; cherries flooding in with aeration. A nice mouth feel, tannins underpinning it, with bright acidity giving a crisp lift to this big wine.
Cherries, dark fruits, quite chewy leading to a long finish with a whisper of heat.
Rather tasty now, and cellaring will reward you.
Price: $59
Rating: Very good
Menthol, rosemary, spices, violets and oak. Slightly atypical with the merlot-like dark plums on the palate. Definite power here: quite a chewy palate with the tannins and acidity still pronounced, leading on to a stony minerality and drying finish.
This one cries out for food, and time in the cellar.
Price: $65
Rating: Excellent
Funky, barnyard notes at first, with the sweet fruit and floral notes coming up with aeration; violets come later. A powerful core of sweet fruit on the palate, with cherries, red fruits, savoury touches and noticeable oak.
A big wine: all the elements are here but they are not quite integrated, so give this time to strut its stuff.
Price: $63
Rating: Outstanding
A fine nose of red fruits, wild thyme and lavender, moving to darker fruits; earthy and savoury notes with aeration. Beautifully balanced; showing lovely texture, fine tannins and bright acidity.
A sense of energy here and quite delicious. Great length with a top note of wild herbs hanging on the long finish, while fruit sweetness builds.
Fabulous stuff.
Price: $40
Rating: Good to very good
Tilled earth, barnyard, wild herbs and a lifted, perfumed note lead the way. Wild herbs and bramble continue on the palate, with sour cherry, savoury notes and tangy fruit lollies.
The tannins become quite grippy with aeration, bringing in a slightly stalky, herbal element.
This should soften nicely with food.
Price: $42-$48
Rating: Excellent.
This opens to a funky hint with rosemary, wild herbs, char and savoury notes. Deliciously savoury on the palate with fine tannins and a fresh note. Built on secondary characters; the underlying sweet fruit emerges with time.
Slow out of the blocks but with considerable interest, finishing with spice and sour cherry.
