A customer walks into a wine shop ... nope; not the start of a joke but a question asked from time to time is whether there are older vintages available? Sadly, few if any wine shops have either the funding or the appropriate space to hold wines back for future release. Among a sizable lineup of Central Otago Pinot Noirs tasted recently it was fascinating by contrast to see quite some diversity in the vintages available, with four of the six wines featured below for example from either 2018 or 2019. In this case, the wineries have done that work for you, allowing you to try wines in their plateau of maturity. 2018 Mount Edward Central Otago Pinot Noir Price RRP $65 Rating Excellent Lovely florality leads, red fruits and rhubarb, an earth/ clay-like nuance. Palate shows some development, quite spicy with herb/ thyme, again red fruits, hints of cherry too, forest floor influences. Elegant, nicely balanced, picking up graphite notes, bright acidity rounding out the close. Good length, refined in this hot vintage. With reflection, my rating has crept up. www.mountedward.com 2018 Stewart Town The Bounder Bannockburn Pinot Noir Price RRP $65 Rating Very Good to Excellent Perfume melds with forest floor-like notes, red fruits and sweet dried strawberry. The wine carries those characters through into the mouth. Quite a chewy style with hints of dried herbs and pencil lead, the fruit sweetness swelling as it opens up, matched a tangy quality lending nice freshness to the close. At six years from vintage, in a good place to enjoy now. www.stewarttownvineyard.co.nz 2019 Stewart Town The Bounder Bannockburn Pinot Noir Price RRP $65 Rating Excellent to Outstanding Jumps out of the glass, dusty, smoke, volume to the fruit expression of red fruits and raspberry. Fruit ripeness here but neatly dry, a raspberry drops note lending brightness backed by spice and red fruits, a chalky/fruit pith aspect adding to the texture. Quite simply there’s a togetherness to this, elegance, complexity, supported by lovely fruit depth. www.stewarttownvineyard.co.nz 2019 Cox’s Vineyard Gibbston Pinot Noir Price RRP $125 Rating Excellent to Outstanding Hits some different buttons, cranberry, a touch of piquancy, wild herb and savoury notes joining in. Complexity and interest. The palate engages with crunchy texture and chewy tannins, brightness, vibrancy and freshness, again cranberry, red fruits, a wild herb undercurrent, tobacco too. Refinement, pinosity, a sense of coolness, lovely texture evolving. www.coxsvineyard.co.nz 2022 Poplar Estate Central Otago Pinot Noir Price RRP $29.99 Rating Very Good to Excellent Youthful fruit expression, red fruited with touches of blueberry and rhubarb, nice perfume building. Carries those characters through to the palate adding smoke and bonfire embers. The fruit sweetness grows with air, contrasted by chewy tannins and some refreshing tart/ bittersweet elements while the first savoury hints arrive as the fruit swells. Website under development 2022 Grasshopper Rock Earnscleugh Pinot Noir Price RRP $45 Rating Excellent to Outstanding Earthy touches, wisps of char, a minty/eucalypt element, plum, increasing savoury notes. Delightful silkiness on the front palate, neatly balanced and integrated, all the elements working together. Time brings the underlying tannic structure to the fore, a reminder of its potential. Ends with a refreshingly zesty piquancy on the long, long close. www.grasshopperrock.co.nz
