I often think some top end pinot noirs are released too young. The best need time to mature. Cellar some of these for another two-five years to develop their full potential.
Best Value
$24
Four stars (out of five)
Above average value
Spicy, dusty hints of dried herbs meld with sweet dark fruit, savoury undertones and supporting oak, and there's a crisp, juicy finish. At three years old this is mellowed and flavoursome.
maindivide.com
$45
Four stars
Average value
A complex wine, brooding with spicy dark, savoury undertones, hints of mineral, plums, raspberries, dark cherries and dark chocolate, it is intense and powerful but also lively with firm tannins. Still youthful but will mature well.
amisfield.co.nz
$35
Three and a half stars
Average value
With hints of mineral, dark, silky, brooding fruit and a spicy, herbal edge, this takes time to open in the glass. Give it another six months at least to show its best.
forrest.co.nz
$39
Four stars
Above average valoue
A stylish, elegant wine with hints of mineral, an exciting peppery edge and darker, savoury undertones, supporting spicy oak and a long, textural, well-balanced finish.
woollaston.co.nz
$65
Four stars
Below average value
One of Grant Taylor's four single-vineyard pinots, this is youthfully taut and elegant, already complex with sweet spices and dark fruits, but its texture, structure, fine-grained tannic backbone and long finish indicate it needs a few years to develop its full potential.
valliwine.com
$48
Four stars
Average value
Complex with dark mineral and earthy notes, hints of cloves, allspice and plums, this is textural with savoury undertones, a lively edge and a dark, brooding aftertaste. Give it time to show its potential.
greywacke.co.nz
