There are still too many people (particularly young people) who find wine daunting. From the language, the minutiae of grape variety, vineyard, region etc, to the concept of cellaring, it can all seem a bit impenetrable. It’s not a question of dumbing wine down, rather, taking it off its pedestal and putting it on the table surrounded by friends and family where it belongs. Opening the door to sharing the pleasures of wine and embracing a bit of its hedonism. I’ll drink to that!
2022 Chard Farm Mata-Au Central Otago Pinot Noir
Rating Very Good to Excellent
Delicacy, swelling as it
opens out. Red fruits,
earth, spices, carrying
those characters on to
the palate. A finer style
that has that sense of
pinosity rather than
trying to be a fruit
bomb. The tannins
launch a stealth
attack, a corset to the
wine, hand in hand
with the zesty acidity,
creating a whole that
feels like a perfect
match with food.
2022 Moko Hills Bendigo Pinot Noir
Rating Excellent to Outstanding
A smokey nuance,
sweet tobacco, wild
rose florality, mineral, a
deeper register to the
fruit, an impression of a
drier style. Lovely
depth, dry fruit pastille,
herb, stony mineral,
elegant and serious
rather than a fruit bomb.
With air, an earthy
character, a little
intrigue and wildness,
that earthy, savoury
quality resonates
through the palate. Fine,
chewy tannins bring it
to a close. Super.
2024 Nanny Goat Central Otago Pinot Noir
Rating Excellent
Raspberry drops, plays
the subtlety card but
there’s good things
going on. Perfume
swelling, a backdrop of
herb, cherry influences,
a touch of toasty char.
Real crispness, ‘upright’
driven by the zesty
acidity and fine (almost
grainy) tannins with fruit
richness its equal.
Shows its youthful
vibrancy, juicy nicely
structured, bright
piquancy. With food
now, or a little time in
the cellar.
2023 Nanny Goat Single Vineyard Queensberry Pinot Noir
Rating Rating Outstanding
An engaging smidgen
of humus, fruit lozenge,
darker fruits, cherry,
schist characters, a
deeper register, picking
up savoury hints, each
swirl offers more. Silky
texture on entry then
powerful, chewy grip
shows its intent. Mixed
berry fruits, a stony
quality, sweet fruit yet a
lovely, dry finish.
Screams potential.
Now wild herb, forest
floor, so many layers of
flavour. Super long close.
2023 Penkridge Farm Central Otago Pinot Noir
Rating Very Good to Excellent
Fragrant, red fruit pastilles, cooling
herbs/almost mint, a
little minerality, bright
and welcoming. A real
juiciness to this, freshly
squished berries,
brimming with flavour,
medium weight, and
while youthful you could
open this with abandon.
Sweetly fruited, oak
spices, now showing its
backbone, perhaps not
massively complex but
who cares when it’s just
so darn drinkable. It’s
the sort of wine that
begs another glass.
2023 Nanny Goat Central Otago Pinot Noir
Rating Excellent to Outstanding
A whisper of funk parts to show
wonderful depths of darker fruits
underpinned by savoury
notes with flecks of herb,
schisty mineral in the mix
too. Youthfully expressed,
a cooling, zesty quality,
graphite, fine yet grippy
tannins. Pinosity in its
medium weight, the fruit
depth perfectly in balance,
while it it flows to a fine,
chewy close, the flavours
hanging long in the
mouth. The nose tightens
a little with air, just
reinforcing its
youthfulness.
