Pinot noir can be delicious, but it's not cheap.
This group includes some new labels from Central Otago, such as Richard Guthrey's Remarkable, and Allan Scott's Scott Base.
Try one of these for a special occasion.
Mount Dottrel Central Otago Pinot Noir 2007
$35
Wonderful rich, dark brooding fruit, dark chocolate, with hints of spice and smoky oak and an underlying savoury, earthy note, this intense wine nevertheless has a brightness and texture, and a very long finish.
- Four stars (out of five)
- Good value
Scott Base Central Otago Pinot Noir 2008
$35
Typically attractive Central Otago pinot with spicy hints of raspberries and cherries, an undertone of toffee with dense flavours and a long finish.
A young wine, big on flavour if light on subtlety.
- Four stars (out of five)
- Good value
(about $37)
Dark red berry fruit, plums and a hint of mineral supported by spicy oak with hints of chocolate, licorice and mineral, this is soft and velvety with a hint of herbs and a lift on the finish.
- Four stars (out of five)
- Average value
(about $40)
A new label which leapt to fame by winning a trophy at the IWSC competition in London, this three-year old wine from Gibbston hints of dried herbs with a hint of pepper, dark fruit and firm tannins. Drinking well now but beginning to show its age.
- Four stars (out of five)
- Average value
(about $36)
Another three year old wine, oozing cherries, spice and a hint of mint, firm and textural with a long silky aftertaste, this will appeal to those who prefer their pinots big and muscular.
- Four stars (out of five)
- Average value
(about $30)
Cherry plums, other red fruits and hint of spruce and herbs are backed by undertones of toffee, dried milk and spicy oak and the wine finishes with a zesty, almost under ripe tingle.
It's young yet, and with more bottle age and food it will be a refreshing drink.
- Three stars (out of five)
- Below average value
~ ANOTHER GLASS ~
Mitre Rocks Central Otago Pinot Noir 2007
$45
This big brother of Mount Dottrel, is a complex, brooding wine, with lovely purity of fruit, a spicy lift from the toasty oak, savoury, mineral hints, suggestions of strawberry jam on toast, and a firm, long finish.
A complex, stylish wine that will develop with bottle age.
- Four stars (out of five)
- Average value
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.
Although wine sent for review is tasted blind to eliminate preconceptions, all wine tasting and evaluation is subjective. These are personal recommendations.
