New Central Otago pinot noirs keep appearing, some from wineries based elsewhere like Hawkes Bay producer Church Road and Canterbury-based Tiki, and new local producers like John Montero and Roberta Manell Montero's Ellero label from their vineyard on the Pisa terraces.
For more wines from this tasting check out the wine reviews on www.odt.co.nz
Although wine sent for review is tasted blind to eliminate preconceptions, all wine tasting and evaluation is subjective.
These are personal recommendations. charmian.smith@odt.co.nz
8 Ranges Trail Rider Central Otago Pinot Noir 2009
$25.
A lighter pinot from the slopes above the rail trail between Alexandra and Clyde, this is attractive with sweet fruit hinting of strawberry jam and an easy finish.
3 stars (out of 5)
Good value
$27
Made from fruit grown at Bendigo, this is fragrant and mouthfilling, with a firm backbone bolstered by ripe fruit.
It's tingly and young, but drinking nicely now.
3 stars (out of 5)
Good value
$32
An attractive wine from Alexandra with hints of toasty oak, sweet cherries and dark berries, a silky texture and lingering finish.
Drinking well.
4 stars (out of 5)
Good value
$40
A charming but complex wine, showing the delicacy, fragrance and hints of blueberries characteristic of Gibbston-grown fruit, a hint of native bush and a textural, tingly aftertaste.
4 stars (out of 5)
Average value
$43
A Central Otago classic, this is complex with delicious concentrated fruit and spice tempered by a firm backbone, velvety texture and long aftertaste.
4 stars (out of 5)
Average value
$36
A gentle, charming wine hinting of spicy red fruit and dried herbs, but with a firm, lingering aftertaste.
5 stars (out of 5)
Good value
ANOTHER GLASS
Cloudy Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010
$30
Cloudy Bay has become a high profile luxury brand since being taken over by multinational luxury goods firm LVMH but the wine remains typical - oozing fresh green herbs, gooseberry nd currant leaf with concentrated fruit, a crisp steely backbone of acidity and a delicious
aftertaste. Will benefit from several months further bottle age.
4 stars (out of 5)
Average value
Tiki Grey Label Single Vineyard Wairau Alpine Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2010
$25
A single vineyard wine from the upper Wairau valley, this hints of ripe apples and gooseberries with underlying suggestions of dusty gravel, and a crisp, zingy finish.
3.5 stars (out of 5)
Average value
Framingham F Series Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2008
$35
The F-series is the interesting result of winemaker Andrew Hedley's experimentations. This sauvignon is fermented with indigenous yeast which gives an attractive, mineral undertone to the sweet fruit, texture and richness on the palate and a long satisfying, quite dry finish.
4 stars (out of 5)
Average value
