RED WINE

A powerful and seductive bouquet with a core of pinosity then aromas of dark red berries, mineral soil, a fine savoury, dried herb quality and youthful energy. Toasty barrel and dark spices of oak are noticeable, but not misplaced. Fantastic on the palate with a core of youthful energy, baking spices and dark berry fruit flavours, firm tannins and plenty of acidity. The heartbeat of pinosity is strong, holding my attention. A lovely wine that should be locked away in your cellar till 2024 then taste again. Best drinking likely from 2025 through 2040. CAMERON DOUGLAS MS

Spice, dried roses, a pleasing earthy bass, bright cherry and cranberry fruit. It's medium-bodied, firm and bright, with a distinct 'mineral' crunch and freshness, spicy too, earth and floral notes mingling to great effect. Almost that sort of bloody character you get in Pommard (apologies for the reference, in a way), and a long crisp finish that offers a pleasant amount of orange peel bitterness. Beautiful wine... GARY WALSH, winefront.com

This an immediately appealing perfume here, with bright red fruits interlaced with savoury herbs and bitter orange citrus. There's a burst of energy and vitality on the palate with those lush, ripe cherry and strawberry fruits spliced with succulent acidity. Perhaps the real star here though are the tannins which rise up from under that fruit, dense, fine and polished as the wine tapers leaving a lovely delicate spice on the finish.  ALEX DOBSON, PWS

This has fragrant fruit with notes of raspberries, pomegranate, orange slices, cloves and herbs. Tightly-wound tannins support a fresh and wild core of berry fruit and herbs. JAMES SUCKLING 

 

Our top New Zealand wine of 2022 is the Ata Rangi Pinot Noir Martinborough 2020. It is textural, deep and seamlessly balanced, as well as supremely perfumed and vibrant. Made from the estate's oldest parcels planted 42 years ago, it demonstrates the power of pinot noir coming out of Martinborough. (98) JAMES SUCKLING

The big one, made from 39 year-old Abel clone vines. Doesn't sound like much but in New Zealand terms this spans the country's development as a serious, wine-producing nation. Very aromatic, but into the spectrum of dried herbs, chamomile, and cedar box. An impressive, very plush, palate - big, with an incredible "structure" on the finish: it's expansive and velvety but it ends, running on with the acid and the fine, fine tannin. An umami, lush, structured, beautiful wine. (98) OLLY STYLES

The 2020 Pinot Noir reminds me of walking into a cathedral - that quiet, cool hush that falls as you walk through its doors. This is harmonious, supple, unshowy and unforced. Hailing from old vines and delicately textured despite the abundance of fruit concentration. Refined tannins with the finest of gravelly textures, akin to licking a stone. Scented yet restrained, with a fragrance of sweet red fruit, tea leaf and cedar spices with persistent acidity that carries it. Very complete and already approachable. (96) REBECCA GIBB MW

2020 Ata Rangi McCrone Pinot Noir
A lovely nose of sliced strawberry, grated nutmeg, suede and rose. Negroni. Orange. Medium- to full-bodied with silky, fine tannins. Nuanced and concentrated with an array of subtle spice and herbs decorating the beautifully fresh red berries. Spice. Iron. Rust. Savory undertones provide depth and complexity on the palate and evolve and oscillate as time goes on. Open grain tannins at the end. New single vineyard bottling. Sustainable. Best after 2025. Screw cap. JAMES SUCKLING

The 2020 Pinot Noir McCrone Vineyard fills the mouth with ripe fruit and structured tannin without becoming heavy on the palate. Produced off a richer site than the estate Pinots, this is a robust, firm style leaving behind a chunky frame of tannins…REBECCA GIBB MW

An approachable, bright and lively Pinot Noir with beautiful juicy red fruits and good structure.

Smoky, fruity and savoury; aromas of dark cherry, charred oak, bramble, plum and charcuterie float from the glass. On the palate is liquorice and black forest fruits- cherry, blackberry, plum and boysenberry- kissed with smoky, toasty oak and a hint of dark chocolate. The tannins are supple and fine, teasing out the long, mouth watering finish.

Ripe, pure, vibrant, varietal. Aromas of dark plums and cherries, layers of savoury spices, barrel spices and a mix of red flowers including roses. A lovely bouquet with a youthful energy and power. On the palate an equally vibrant wine touches first with tannins and acidity making their presence known, then a core of dark red berry fruits and savoury baking spice qualities take over. Tannins are in abundance, are firm-ish and acidity all set the structure in place. A lovely wine that will age well, best drinking from late 2024 through 2030+. CAMERON DOUGLAS MS

The 2022 is a wonderfully red fruited and aromatic Pinot Noir. Spice notes of cardamom and ginger combine with rosehip and pomegranate. A savoury note reminiscent of manuka smoke and prosciutto mingle enticingly with the red fruits. The palate has an array of flavours ranging from raspberry compote to rhubarb and orange zest. Smooth and supple on the entry, fine tannins are buoyed by freshness to a long-sustained finish. Mid ruby in colour, with an almost transparent hue, the 2022 is charming and fresh, while remaining supple and delicious. Drink now to 2030. HELEN MASTERS, winemaker

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

A savoury, structured and beautifully layered Pinot Noir, with a nose of black cherries, raspberry, smoky oak, pomegranate and star anise. The palate is juicy and expressive with lavish helpings of cherry and spice.

100% of the fruit for this wine comes from organic vineyards; Hua Nui, Winery and Pencarrow. The fruit is a blend of Clones 667, 777, 115, 10/5, MV6 and Abel. All handpicked with 5% whole cluster. A period of cold soak followed by wild fermentations and gentle pumpovers and plunging. The wine is pressed to French Oak barrels and left to mature for a period of 10 months during which time it undergoes malolactic fermentation to soften the wine and add complexity.

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

A juiciness and plushness here. A bit of that old come hither feel. Black plum, black olive, some warmth and woody spices from the frying pan, some choc-currant characters and the finish is woody spicy and cinnamon dusted. Feels quite bold for pinot, a fuller flavoured but not fuller figured thing happening. Chalky tannins here too. Brooding pinot noir, character filled and enjoyable for a dryer version of the variety. MIKE BENNIE, The Wine Front

The 2021 Kupe Pinot Noir is, true to form, densely muscular, with a rippling, spicy sort of countenance on the nose. There's resin and clove, alpine mint and tapenade, mulberry, damson and satsuma plum. In the mouth, the wine is fleshy, savory and complex, with a ripe, ribald sort of finish—an uptick to the almost corpulent mid-palate. Many will love the density of this wine, the muscle of it. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

Kupe was close-planted and picked on March 30. The Abel clone was picked on April 6, similar to 2022. It's 45% whole bunch, plunged once daily and was on skins for 31 days. Aging was in 42% new barriques for 19 months, with a racking and light fining during that time. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered. ERIN LARKIN, The Wine Advocate

There’s a definitive complexity and power in the bouquet with a concentration of red berry fruits, dark raspberry and red currant, there’s a mix of dried herb and savoury. A moderate oak influence then floral aromatics and mineral. Taut, dry, warm and youthful, a wine of texture then spice, fruit flavours mirror the bouquet, the oak steps up a little more as the wine becomes more ambient. Tannins have a fine texture, are in abundance layering in mouthfeel and breadth. Acidity adds freshness and length on the palate. Well made, lengthy and youthful. A wine that will age and integrate well offering best drinking from 2025 through 2035. CAM DOUGLAS MW

The 2021 Pinot Noir is svelte and balanced; it's really settled into itself now at two years post-harvest. There's a nice, fleshy green parsley note on the nose. The fruit tastes ripe and fleshy and feels it in the mouth too. Nice mineral acidity shapes the wine and keeps it alive in the mouth. This is super pleasurable drinking here. There are pomegranate pearls and pink peppercorns. There is energy here. 13% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

This is composed of 61.5% Te Muna Road Vineyard, with the balance from in town. It was plunged once daily and spent 20 days on the skins. Aging was in 22% new oak for 11 months, with a further nine months in tank. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. ERIN LARKIN, The Wine Advocate

Most if not all escarpment Pinots Noir need to be given the time to develop, build complexities and show their true potential. This was the legacy that Larry Mackenna and his team set, today’s team led by Tim Bourne is continuing this legacy easily showcased in this wine. Aromas and flavours are rich and taut, complex and detailed. A wine that opens up to reveal its potential after 3 days open. Dark berries and plum, spices and dried herb, savoury and complex, mushroom and smoke. Lengthy, dry and complex. Best drinking from 2026 through 2036. CAM DOUGLAS MW

The 2021 Pahi Pinot Noir has a gorgeous nose that's totally expressive and pure in its outlay of aroma, with Pink Lady apples, pomegranate pearls, layers of red cherry, white strawberry, star anise, a hint of arnica/mint and a ripple of sumac and blood orange/ginger spice through the finish. Superb, gorgeous with lovely energy. The nose is laced with freshly turned red earth, which is crazy because there is no "freshly turned red earth" in the vineyard, yet it is ferruginous, iodine-y, etc., which carries through all the 2021 single-vineyard Pinots. Tannins are silky. With 58% whole bunch, there's "big bunch energy," joked winemaker Tim Bourne. I agree.13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

Pahi tends to have a lifted perfume—"'Te Muna Road perfume' we call that," says Tim. Grapes were picked on April 3 and spent 25 days on skins. Clone 5 and Abel were used. Aging was in 25% new oak for 20 months, racked once, then bottled unfined and unfiltered. (95) ERIN LARKIN,. The Wine Advocate

An enticing fragrance of fresh dark cherries and dried herbs, plum and sweet wood with a light smoke touch. There’s a gentle perfume and floral frame. On the palate firm touch with a core of ripe dark berried fruits for contrast. There’s some subtle power with tannins and acidity framing the wine nicely and a core of fruit flavours that reflect the bouquet. Firm and dry, lengthy and well made, I feel this wine needs some cellar time to complete its harmony. Best drinking from 2025 through 2032+. CAM DOUGLAS MW

A mix of dried and fresh strawberries with some candied hibiscus as well as lavender. Watermelon as well. Medium body. Firm tannins and a racy finish. Shows length and attraction. Drink now. Screw cap. JAMES SUCKLING

A purity and freshness to this with flowers, strawberries and lemons. Medium body with a tight linearity. Racy tannins here with focus and clarity. 30% Abel with Dijon clones and Pommard. Drink or hold. Screw cap. JAMES SUCKLING

Floral and bright with orange peel and strawberry aromas and flavors. Medium to full body. Firm and polished with a lovely and focused finish. There’s a focus and precision to this. Drink or hold. Screw cap. JAMES SUCKLING