When I reflect back on the earliest years of my passion for wine, some 40-odd years ago, pinot noir wasn’t really on the radar. There were murmurings out of Central and Martinborough, but who could have predicted that it would become New Zealand’s dominant red grape variety and the flagship wine for Central? Nowadays we take it for granted, yet the quality that we have come to expect in the bottle is the sum of more than 40 years of toil and experimentation by risk-takers and visionaries. When you savour any of these delightful wines, spare a thought for the history that lies behind them. 2023 Main Divide by Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir Price RRP $26.99 Rating Very Good to Excellent Fragrant nose, fresh, youthful this is at once open for business and yet engaging. The palate steps up a notch, can I say playful? Juicy, crunchy, nice energy, making a feature of its bright, youthful fruit qualities. Unabashedly not the most deep, complex and brooding wine you’ll ever see, because it’s about great balance, enjoyment and drinkability. Pleasure in every sip. www.maindivide.com 2024 Hawkshead Central Otago Pinot Noir Price RRP $54 Rating Excellent Youthful nose, fruit volume, red berryfruits, blueberry, boysenberry, perfume developing. The palate continues the journey, fresh, youthful, the fruit now meeting a tangy counterpoint with stony gravel aspects. Feels somewhat primal and unevolved, nice elements here teasing you but more about potential. I upped my score on reflection and re-tasting, this should shine with time. www.hawksheadwine.com 2024 Hawkshead First Vines Gibbston Pinot Noir Price RRP $75 Rating Excellent A hint of wildness on the nose, cranberry, raspberry, wild herb influences, some struck match with aeration. Feels quite youthful, almost a grainy feel to the texture with good grip. A whole bunch stalk character aligned with fruit sweetness yet tangy freshness. Develops youthful tautness with air, good elements though so I’ll score on the potential. www.hawksheadwine.com 2022 Burn Cottage Vineyard Central Otago Pinot Noir Price RRP $80 Rating Outstanding So perfumed, florality, wild rose, spices, red fruits. Wonderful silky texture, a real lightness of touch, depth without weight, gorgeous integration and balance, fine, elegant and drinking superbly. Look away if you’re looking for a big fruit bomb. Hints of cherry, raspberry and wild herb now, the structure increasingly evident, yet at its heart, incredibly moreish. www.burncottage.com 2023 Gibbston Valley Le Maitre Gibbston Pinot Noir Price RRP $130 Rating Outstanding Powerfully perfumed and fragrant, some whole bunch I suspect adding to this, spices, wild herb, red fruits. grabs your attention. Intense sweet fruits lead yet this is not at all "sweet" as there’s a coolness to this while savoury qualities and deceptively powerful tannins kick in. Wonderfully chewy close with a real salivatory quality, the flavours hang in the mouth. www.gibbstonvalley.com 2023 Gibbston Valley School House Bendigo Pinot Noir Price RRP $75 Rating Excellent to Outstanding Bolder fruits at first, raspberry and cherry shift to a deeper, more brooding quality, less obviously sweetly fruited, now a touch of salinity and stony minerality. The palate is surprisingly taut and youthful, powerful tannins a corset for the wine, black tea, all about potential. Opens up beautifully, really starts to strut its stuff, amazing length and structure. Scoring on the potential. www.gibbstonvalley.com
