Pinot noir is elusive. Young pinot will develop in the glass as it comes in contact with air and tasting again the following day may reveal something different - too much oak or clumsiness, or some that initially appear unripe may round out, indicating that with bottle age they are likely to integrate and soften. The best wines will always be harmonious and balanced and you'll want to keep on sipping.
BEST VALUE
$22
Fragrant with hints of cherry plum and toffee and an exciting, lively edge, this is a light, fresh
wine with an underlying savoury hint and a crisp, lingering finish.
www.mountriley.co.nz
Good value
Three stars (out of five)
Mount Riley PinotN09.JPG
$24
With lots of berry, cherry fruit and spicy, chocolatey oak, this has some of the initial charm characteristic of Central pinot, but is a tad clumsy on the finish.
Average value
Two stars
Hutaway LtdEd PinotN08.JPG
$24
Ignore the hype on the label; this is a simple, light, peppery wine with an easy, dryish finish.
Average value
Two stars
Frizzel Pinot N 09.JPG
$42
A fine wine with hints of cherry plums and forest floor, lively red fruits with an exciting edge balanced by hints of spicy oak and a long, textural aftertaste. It will develop with a few years bottle age.
Good value
Four stars
Dog Point Pinot Noir 08.JPG
$55
A harmonious, concentrated wine with dark fruits, hints of herbs, spices and chocolate, and underlying savoury oak, with a long, textural finish. It seems a more complete, complex wine than the individual block wines (see below).
Average value
Four stars
Rippon PinotN 08.JPG
$55
This shows all the charm that Gibbston is capable of - intense dark fruits with silky tannins but also an underlying power that lingers on the delicious aftertaste. This wine developed more layers of complexity the following day.
Average value
Four stars
Valli Pinot N Gibbston08.JPG
ANOTHER GLASS
The Crossings Awatere Pinot Noir 2008
$26
With funky aromas, dark berry fruit and spice, this is a simple wine with a crisp finish.
Below average value
Two stars
Rippon Jeunesse Pinot Noir 2008
$38.50
Fragrant with hints of plums and violets, this is a light, crisp but very drinkable wine with hints of spicy oak and a savoury undertone.
Below average value
Three stars
Rippon Tinkers Field Pinot Noir 2008
$95
Hints of mineral and earth, ripe dark fruit, and lots of spicy oak, this wine is rich and attractive with a firm texture and a hint of toffee on the aftertaste. It is one of Rippon's individual block wines from part of the vineyard planted by the founder, Rolfe Mills (known as Tink to his friends).
Below average value
Four stars
Rippon Emma's Block Pinot Noir 2008
$82
Fragrant and elegant with a hint of spicy fruitcake - ripe plums, prunes and figs, supported by toasty oak and finely textured tannins. A harmonious wine with a long finish. Another of Rippon's single block wines from an area down by Lake Wanaka.
Below average value
Four stars
Valli Waitaki Vineyard Pinot Noir 2008
$55
The more Waitaki pinots I try, the more I identify an edgy, almost under ripe character with green undertones as regional characteristic - though this may be a result of cool vintages. The first day I tasted this it appeared light and juicy, but it's a well-made, textural with a good mouthfeel, and may well develop with more time in bottle.
Below average value
Three stars
Valli Bannockburn Vineyard Pinot Noir 2008
$55
This has all the generous warm spice and dark fruit characteristic of fruit grown in Bannockburn. With savoury undertones, layers of flavour and texture and a lingering aftertaste it is delicious.
Average value
Four stars
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
Two stars - simple, clean, enjoyable wine; three stars - good wine with varietal characteristics; four stars - very good wine with some outstanding characteristics; five stars - outstanding wine with balance and harmony that leaves you with a sense of wonder.
Fascinating journey for pinot enthusiasts
There's been a lot of pinot noir harvested in Central Otago in the past few years and as a result we are seeing Central Otago wines bottled by producers elsewhere in the country.
Sometimes these are at the cheaper end of the price range, like the Huntaway and the Frizzell pinots reviewed above, but can be good value.
Other producers are bottling more individual wines under their own labels.
At the top end of the scale this is a result of dedicated winemakers exploring their vineyards and wanting to show the differences between wines grown in different blocks.
Felton Road has been doing this for some years, and so has Grant Taylor, of Valli, whose wines are from different subregions.
Now Nick Mills, of Rippon, has released a couple of single-block pinots, as well as the regular Jeunesse, a lighter wine made from young vines, and the finely balanced, harmonious Rippon pinot noir made from mature vines across the vineyard.
Tinkers Field, from the block first planted by Nick's father, Rolfe, is grown on schist gravels and produces a dense, powerful wine, while Emma's Block lower on the slope, near the lake is on clay and the wine is more fragrant and elegant (for tasting notes see www.odt.co.nz).
Many people might think any differences between two wines from neigbouring patches would be due to winemaking techniques rather than the soil, but the proof is in the tasting.
Well-made pinot noir and riesling can show distinct differences depending on the soil and microclimate, especially in biodynamic vineyards, as Rippon's is.
Enthusiasts who enjoy exploring the many expressions of good pinot will find it fascinating trying these wines together and gain an insight into the differences terroir (soil and microclimate) can produce in a wine.
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Charmian Smith
Feature writer
Food and wine writer
Otago Daily Times
PO Box 181
Dunedin
New Zealand
DDI 03 479 3511
fax 03 474 7422
www.odt.co.nz
