Selwyn Times: October 14, 2020

Wednesday October 14 2020 Selwyn Times
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
WINE 33
Delightful drops from a hot season
• By Mark Henderson
THE MAJORITY of Central
pinot noirs on the shelves at
the moment are from the 2018
vintage.
This was an exceptionally hot
season from December through
until the beginning of March,
when cooler, rainy conditions
helped moderate the effects of the
summer. It tested the mettle of
the wineries, yet while most of the
2018 wines will not be extremely
long lived, they do offer delightful
drinking now. Alongside those
here today, a slew of late releases,
and a comparative young ’un.
2018 Valli Waitaki
Vineyard Pinot Noir
Price: $69
Rating: Excellent
Fragrant notes of wild herbs
with cooler strawberry and
darker fruits mingling. Sweet
cherry and spicy oak frame the
palate, adding a touch of
lead pencil, showing good
structure in the background.
There’s generosity of fruit
here, a sweetly fruited element
building and good length. This
has drinkability off the bat but
potential too.
www.valliwine.com
2018 Rockburn Central
Otago Pinot Noir
Price: $49.99
Rating: Excellent to
outstanding
Darker fruited expression
offering mint/menthol, oak
spices and savoury nuances. A
depth of flavour that fills the
mouth, supported by fine-grained
tannins, as the sweet fruit mingles
with wild herbs and savoury
notes. Lovely texture, nice
balance and integration gives this
immediate drinkability.
www.rockburn.co.nz
2016 Doctors Flat
Price: $49.99
Rating: Outstanding
Subtlety and elegance
rule, darker fruited, sawn
timber, spices, violets, growing
in the glass with sweet fruits
building. Wonderful intensity
and depth of flavour to the
dry, dusty palate and while
approachable now, the
powerful tannic structure is
built for the future. Ripe but
not sweet, the fruit hangs in the
mouth on the long, dry close.
Superb potential.
www.doctorsflat.co.nz
2016 Domaine Thomson
Surveyor Thomson Central
Otago Pinot Noir
Price: $55
Rating: Very good to
excellent
Talc and potpourri lead,
shifting to mint/herbs, savoury
touches and warm leather.
Flirting with sweet ‘n’ sour
nuances, oak noticeable, with
powerful tannins getting the
salivary juices going, a youthful
gangliness at first. This grows
enormously, an Italianate
tanginess bringing delightful
freshness.
www.domainethomsonwines.
com
2015 Maori Point
Grand Reserve Professor’s
Block Central Otago Pinot
Noir
Price: $69.95
Rating: Excellent
Perfumed nose, licorice,
blueberry, stones, a piquancy
to this with hints of secondary
characters. Deceptive intensity
here, real power aligned with
silkiness, while red currant/red
fruits meld with lavender, leather
and savoury nuances as the
wine builds to a long, dry finish.
Suggestive of some bottle age; in a
lovely now.
www.maoripoint.co.nz
2019 Putangi Central
Otago Pinot Noir
Price: $31
Rating: Very good
Leaps from the glass with
cherry, raspberry char and
lead pencil elements; florality
building. Berryfruit jus, char,
graphite and a tangy ‘‘raspberry
drops’’ character meeting plenty
of grip and chewiness on the
palate. Good flavour intensity, the
structure to the fore in its youth,
best with food for now and with
promise ahead.
www.putangiwines.co.nz
2017 Te Kano Kin Pinot
Noir
Price: $29
Rating: Excellent
Subtle nose at first, yet a
suggestion of volume as the
cherry, mixed berry and herb
notes swell. Firm at first, but
quickly fleshes out, developing
lovely flavour intensity as
savoury nuances add to the
interest. Stylish, good freshness
and well judged structural
backbone make this lovely
drinking now. Nicely done and
good bang for buck.
www.tekanoestate.com
www.bigbrothersbigsisters.org.nz