WINE REVIEWS: Treat yourself with pinot noir

Good pinot noir is a treat - attractive, spicy, with bright fruit and a crisp, dryish finish. It's usually delicious by itself as well as being amenable with many types of food.

This tasting includes wine from Central Otago, Waitaki and Waipara, three southern regions that specialise in this red variety


Charmaine Reveley
Charmaine Reveley
◊ BEST VALUE

Main Divide Canterbury Pinot Noir 2008
(about $25)

With hints of cherry plum, spicy oak and a suggestion of toffee, licorice and dried herbs, this is a simple but attractive wine with a crisp, tingly finish.

- Three stars (out of five)

- Average value

www.maindivide.com


Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
◊ BEST VALUE

Red Tussock Central Otago Pinot Noir 2008
(about $25)

A new wine from Mark Mason of Quest Farm, this shows ripe fruit with a savoury, slightly earthy undetone and a bright, crisp finish.

It has been produced in small amounts for a few years, but this vintage should be more widely available.

- Three stars (out of five)

- Average value

www.otagopinotnoir.com


David Parker
David Parker
◊ BEST VALUE

Kurow Village Waitaki Pinot Noir 2008
(about $26)

A new wine from the burgeoning Waitaki Valley, this simple, fresh pinot hints of cherry plums and dried herbs with a crisp finish.

Available from the website, Oast House in Oamaru and from the cellar door after it opens in October.

- Three stars (out of five)

- Average value

www.kurowvillage.co.nz


Marjane Satrapi
Marjane Satrapi
Amisfield Central Otago Pinot Noir 2007
(about $40)

A stylish wine, the essence of attractive Central pinot, fragrant with sweet fruit, savoury undertones, concentration and a silky texture, it's a powerful, almost assertive wine but also charmingly smooth with a long, satisfying aftertaste.

- Four stars (out of five)

- Average value

www.amisfield.co.nz


Two Paddocks Central Otago Pinot Noir 2007
(about $50)

There's a lot of darkly toasted, spicy oak dominating this wine at present, although undertones of sweet fruit, mineral and a taffeta finish manage to emerge, giving it some charm.

Definitely for those who enjoy oaky wines.

- Three stars (out of five)

- Below average value

http://twopaddocks.com


Heather Paterson
Heather Paterson
Rippon Central Otago Pinot Noir 2007
(about $54)

Beautifully balanced, mellowed and fragrant with the hints of thyme, savoury fruit, and spice, this is one of Nick Mill's best pinots yet.

It's complex and has that indescribable sense of place, also known as "somewhereness" or terroir, with a play between liveliness, weight and substance and a long, integrated finish. It will develop with bottle age, but is delicious now.

- Five stars (out of five)

- Average value

www.rippon.co.nz


~ ANOTHER GLASS ~


Rippon Jeunesse Central Otago Pinot Noir 2007
(about $38)

Made from the younger vines in the Rippon vineyard, this is fragrant, savoury and textural with hints of cherries and bright fruit and a crisp, slightly edgy finish that makes it good with a variety of food.

- Three and a half stars (out of five)

- Average value

www.rippon.co.nz


Quest Farm Central Otago Pinot Noir 2007
(about $40)

Mark Mason has been working on his vineyard in the hills above the Wanaka Rd near Lowburn is releasing his first wine, this and Red Tussock (see above).

This is fragrant with a hint of new leather, toasty oak, dark chocolate, dried berries and a suggestion of mineral, with a crisp finish.

- Three and a half stars (out of five)

- Average value

www.questfarm.co.nz


Pegasus Bay Prima Donna Waipara Pinot Noir 2006
(about $84)

A darkly fragrant wine, with complex aromas hinting of smoky bacon, with oodles of ripe fruit suggesting cherries, plums, berries, and dark chocolate bolstered by spicy oak.

It's textural, lively and dances on the tongue. Quite showy at present, but given a little more bottle age is will develop into something wonderful.

- Four and a half stars (out of five)

- Below average value

www.pegasusbay.com


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.

- charmian.smith@odt.co.nz


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