University Wine ClubNew Zealand Pinot Noir tasting

Friday 21st May 2010

Pinot Noir• New Zealand is now acknowledged as one of the few countries to

have successfully come to grips with this fickle and finicky grape variety. The temperate climate and long sunshine hours, along with some excellent winemakers, have produced some world-class Pinot Noir.

• 27,547 tonnes of 2009 Pinot Noir vintage produced – the highest red wine variety in New Zealand.

• The reputation that gets Pinot Noir so much attention is owed to the wines of Burgundy, France. For much of wine history, a stretch of hills called the Côte-d'Or (“Slope of Gold”) was the only region to achieve consistent success from the Pinot Noir variety.

• Joel Fleischman of Vanity Fair describes Pinot noir as "the most romantic of wines, with so voluptuous a perfume, so sweet an edge, and so powerful a punch that, like falling in love, they make the blood run hot and the soul wax embarrassingly poetic."

Describing Pinot Noir: Old World vs. New World

• Pinot Noir can generally fall into one of two basic styles: Old World and New World.– An Old World style tends to be light-bodied, complex, earthy with a subtle

fruit character. Mostly reserved for wines of the Burgundy region. The following descriptions might be used:• Mushrooms• Smoke• Tea• Perfume, incense, sandalwood• Spice – clove or cinnamon• Hints of flowers – violet• Tart red fruits – cranberry and sour cherry

– A New World style tends to be fuller-bodied and fruit-driven – which NZ Pinot Noir is often associated with:• Juicy red fruits – strawberry, cherry, raspberry• Meat – particularly bacon• Wet earth• Floral• Toast

New Zealand Pinot Noir regions

Spy Valley Pinot Noir 2008• Marlborough• Fermented in small, traditional open-top

vats. Hand-plunged to extract colour and tannin, and after pressing the wine was aged in French oak barrels for 10 months.

• A potpourri of blueberry and violets with a typical Spy Valley layer of red fruit and liquorice on the nose

• Fruit sweetness dominates a rich and complex palate. The structure is classically firm while remaining supple and approachable.

• 14.0% alcohol• $26.64 from Vino Fino• Cellar 3-5 years.• www.spyvalleywine.co.nz

Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2007• Marlborough• Approximately a year in French oak (half

new)• Intensely fragrant with alluring aromas of

dark plums and blueberry, layered over spicy sandalwood and smoky bacon

• The palate is succulent and flavoursome with dark fruits and toasty oak gently supported by plush tannins

• Cuisine: “floral perfumes and a rich round palate with a slightly feral edge.”

• 14.0% alcohol• $39.99 from Vino Fino• www.cloudybay.co.nz

Blind Trail Pinot Noir 2008• Central Otago• French oak (30% new)• Bob Campbell score 83/100 (tasted

Sep 2009): This second label of Wild Earth Wines offers a lighter, simpler Pinot Noir at a more competitive price point. Delicate fruit flavours suggest red cherry and raspberry, supported by a sensitive influence of spicy oak.

• $20.49 from Vino Fino• 12.9% alcohol• www.wildearthwines.co.nz

Rockburn Central Otago Pinot Noir 2006

• Barrel aged for 10 months in 100% French oak (40% new)

• Rich, intense fruits, delicate floral tones enhanced by nuances of wild thyme, and creamy, silky tannins leading into a long mocha finish.

• Recommended cellaring 6-8 years• From the cellar $31.99/bottle• Alcohol 13.7%• www.rockburn.co.nz

Raffle time!Lovers Rest Pinot Noir 2008

Camshorn Waipara Pinot Noir 2007• 11 months in French oak – 25% new• Aromas of lifted black cherry and

plum with subtle oak, vanilla and clove spice.

• Generous palate showing wild berry and chocolate. Notes of dried herb and lingering cracked pepper characteristics.

• Bob Campbell score 90/100 – “Big, chewy wine with masses of appeal”

• 13.0% alcohol• Cellar ~6 years• $ from Vino Fino• www.pernod-ricard-nz.com

Lovers Rest Pinot Noir 2008• Very generously donated to the

Wine Club by Graeme and Deborah!

• Vinified and bottled at Mountford Estate – by CP Lin!

• Their first vintage (with more to come) promises great depth of flavour and sublime elegance

• 13.5% alcohol• $30/bottle at cellar door• www.loversrest.co.nz

(website coming soon)

Pencarrow Martinborough Pinot Noir 2008

• Pencarrow is Palliser’s second string wine range• Made with traditional Burgundian techniques

including a pre-fermentation maceration which allows wild yeast to initiate the fermentation, and a post-fermentation maceration to ensure the complex tannin structure. After pressing it was matured in French oak casks for 9 months.

• Intense ripe fruit flavours of classical red and black berry fruits with a supple savoury note backed by pleasant oak characters.

• The palate is full, round and lingering with fine balance

• 13.5% alcohol• $17.93 from Vino Fino• www.palliser.co.nz

Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 2008• Martinborough• Complete malolactic fermentation in the barrel. 12 months in French oak (25%

new).• Bright, succulent, ripe red fruits create an inviting first impression. As the wine

unfolds, delicate floral aromas emerge – dark, velvety roses. Tannins are very fine and supple, allowing the wine to show lovely primary fruit on the nose at this early stage.

• Legend has it that the Abel clone, of the Pinot Noir grape variety, was brought in illegally from France in the late 70’s

• $64.99 from Vino Fino• 13.5% alcohol• Cellar 5-6 years plus• www.atarangi.co.nz

Next tasting…Hawkes Bay wines

Friday 11th June 2010