Burgundy-inspired Pinot Noir

To produce Pinot Noir with the finesse of Burgundy, vineyard is the key. Palliser is one of New Zealand’s premier wineries. They have made a bold move to convert farmlands into vineyards, which sounded risky but turned out to a groundbreaking and successful idea. The estate now owns seven vineyards on the Martinborough Terrace, all of which produce quite distinctive wine styles reflecting the differences in soils and micro-climates. The land is a stony silt loam overlaying varying depths of ancient free draining river gravels and the climate is dry with frosts and strong winds, which combined to provide an excellent environment for the winery to create perfectly elegant Pinot Noir.

Its Pinot Noir 2018 is an example of elegant New Zealand Pinot Noir. Medium bodied and impressively pure, the wine is also savoury. The crisp acidity and light tannin can perfectly support the fruit’s excellent expression and make it refreshing to drink.

Inspired by the classic wines of Burgundy, Escarpment Pinot Noir 2015 is a tribute to Martinborough’s unique terroir. Situated just 5 kilometres east of Martinborough village, Escarpment’s distinctive alluvial gravel, terraced land that stretches out along the banks of the Huangarua River allows them to produce exceptional Pinot Noir with perfume, elegant fruit flavours, and soft ripe tannins. Their Pinot Noir 2015 has a masculine style and can particularly demonstrate the signature structure and complex layer of the varietal, together with excellent ageing potential of up to 10 years.

Their director and winemaker Larry McKenna is particularly renowned as one of New Zealand’s top Pinot Noir winemakers, often referred as ‘Prince of Pinot Noir’ and the ‘Godfather of Pinot Noir’. With the guru’s passion and leadership, the estate’s Pinot Noir has always been a solid offering that is worth every penny.

Curly Flat is located in the Macedon Ranges, the coolest viticultural area on mainland Australia. Its altitude (540 metres), latitude (south of The Great Dividing Range), distance to the ocean and micro-climate have been considered suitable for growing the early ripening Pinot Noir. The cool climate produces fruit of high natural acidity and intense, yet elegant structure. Another reason for the reputation of its Pinot Noir is the winemakers’ dedication to capturing the essence of their remarkable vineyard sites and the unique expression of each individual vintage. The estate makes wine only fruit grown at their site. The vines are grown to be expressive of variety and to resonate with a sense of place and time.

The Curly Flat Pinot Noir 2017 has a glorious bouquet with spices, red fruits and forest notes and the tannin is soft, demonstrating exceptional texture and structure. The fruitiness, oak and tannin trilogy create a great balance.

Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir has been the flagship wine of Domaine Serene in Oregon and a benchmark for the region’s Pinot Noir since its first vintage. Rich and supple on the palate, it reveals a complex array of dark fruit in a fine-tuned frame of power and elegance. Its silky-smooth tannins leave you with a lingering finish of pure satisfaction.

The art of blending of grapes from its various vineyards is the secret behind this wonderfully complex wine, giving it great flavour intensity and distinct characters. The vintage 2015 radiates a heavenly bouquet of elderberry, sandalwood, leather and mushrooms. It surely is an elegant bottle you should not miss!