Fruit weight, concentration but not over-ripeness, persistence and balance are some of the keys to superb pinot noir, whether they ooze dark, textural power, sheath their steely strength in silky fruit, are lush with dark spicy fruits or lively with schisty red fruits. This tasting from two producers showed the variety of terroir from Otago vineyards.
BEST VALUE
$38
Four stars (out of five)
Good value
Lovely expressive fruit with an exciting edge and underlying minerality and a charming simplicity that developed complex gamey hints, dried herbs and darker spicy notes the following day.
$65
Four and a half stars
Average value
Mouth-filling red fruits with layers of darker fruit, spice, dark chocolate and oak merge with savoury undertones, all supported by fine-grained tannins and an exciting, lively, long finish. Its power is worn lightly and it will develop with bottle age.
$65
Four stars
Below average value
One of the best Waitaki pinots I've tried, this oozes red cherries and berries which cushion the steely backbone. It's lively, dancing in the mouth and lingering for ages both on the tongue and in the memory. It takes time to open in the glass and should develop well over the next couple of years or more.
$65
Four and a half stars
Average value
Fresh and mouth-filling with sweet red fruit suggesting plum and beetroot backed by spicy oak, a suggestion of tar and perhaps a hint of wild thyme, but there's also underlying strength, a steely minerality, persistence and length, a silky texture and lively charm. Bottle age will allow it to develop.
$82
Five stars
Average value
With a distinctive lively peppery aroma and spicy red fruits, this appears lightly textured and dancing on the tongue, but underneath there's generosity and a lovely balance of elegance and power that will develop with time in the bottle.
$54
Four and a half stars
Good value
Soft, dark, plummy fruit with mouth-filling charm, savoury, spicy undertones, a silky texture sheathing a mineral backbone, this is concentrated and harmonious with fine-grained tannins and a long finish. It will mellow with further bottle age.
ANOTHER GLASS
Valli Bannockburn Vineyard Central Otago Pinot Noir 2012
$65
Four stars
Below average value
Dark cherries and spicy blackberries with a lively plummy edge are well integrated with spicy oak and underlying minerality. This is concentrated and powerful with a long, lively finish with nuance of dark chocolate. Will develop with bottle age.
Rippon Tinkers Field Central Otago Pinot Noir 2011
$95
Five stars (out of five)
Average value
A lively, mouth-filling wine with all the charm of Central pinot - perfumed, dark fruit, chocolate, cherry, spicy oak, textural, fresh with underlying power and fruit weight and a developing complexity suggesting forest floor. Give it a little more time to show its true potential but it's delicious now.
