More than three decades ago I went up to Bannockburn to help friends plant their new vineyard. I returned regularly for weekends, helping share the load of the various viticultural tasks and myriad other jobs that needed to be done. It was a formative experience for me to witness the life cycle of a vineyard from the ground up and gain understanding of the enormous amount of work that goes in behind the scenes to grow grapes and produce wine. Such excitement to see that happen and to taste the fruits of your labours. I also had the opportunity to meet many people who have become integral parts of the Central wine community, who I regard as friends to this day. At the time the focus was very much on producing quality Pinot Noir (that focus has been unwavering in Central ever since), predicated on selling bottles of Estate Pinot Noir at the then princely sum of $40-$50 into our local market. That approach worked very well in the early years but ran into headwinds as the number of producers and volume of Pinot Noir increased, meeting a population that wasn’t growing at the same rate. It helped spur greater efforts on the export front, but also led to diversity in price points with much greater awareness of the value or entry level category that are "any day of the week" wines rather than special occasion ones. For many wineries, the "entry level" bottling has become their biggest production wine, offering an affordable introduction to Central Pinot Noir, while selling at an attractive price point in restaurants. I may be painting with a broad brush here but there are now four tiers of Pinot: the entry level at $20-$30, a rung above sitting in the $30-$45 category, estate wines in the $50-$70 bracket and then more serious wines ranging from $70 to well north of $100 with the top rungs being, arguably, world class. This offers amazing freedom of choice for wine lovers and it really does seem that wherever things sit for you, the new price is right. 2023 Misha’s Vineyard Cantata Central Otago Pinot Noir Price RRP $35 Rating Very Good to Excellent Lifted, fresh, fruit pastille, spices, red fruits, cherry notes becoming more evident, a musky fragrance later. Bright and quite chewy in the mouth, fine grainy tannins that feel like the perfect accompaniment for food. Darker fruits now, tea leaf, bright acidity bringing freshness to the close. Struts its youthful side, saying pair me with food. www.mishasvineyard.com 2024 Domaine Thomson Aspiring Single Vineyard Central Otago Pinot Noir Price RRP $35 Rating Very Good to Excellent Darker, smoky, perfumed notes, spices, less about the fruit than the other elements. Nice weight, red fruits now, a crunchy quality to the mouth feel, balanced and integrated, flowing to a fine, long, dry finish. This feels to be already in a good place to enjoy, the fruit building, ripeness and richness growing with air, some good chewy grip also coming into play. www.domainethomsonwines.com 2024 Central by Monte Christo Central Otago Pinot Noir Price RRP $40 Rating Very Good to Excellent Feels superfluous divining individual components as this is so much about the whole, raspberry and darker fruits the foundation. The palate is juicy and vibrant, a cool feel to this with cranberry hints, while the tannins get into gear showing their mettle. Fresh, youthful and engaging and I suspect will be even more at home with food. www.montechristowinery.co.nz
