WTN: 2004 Wild Earth Pinot Noir, Central Otago, NZ

The warmest day of the year today , at least yet, up here in Stockholm. The heat made us rather lazy, so instead of going away to shop something for dinner we dived into the freezer for something and came up with a duck's breast. Now, duck always makes me think of Pinot Noir to pair it with, so another dive, this time into the cellar, and I came up with this wine, bought two years ago at Valvona & Crolla in Edinburgh.
In short, it did not disappoint me. Most things I hope for in a Central Otago Pinot was there, A wonderfully aromatic and fruity Pinot character, strawberries, and cherries, a slight spiciness and some toasted aromas from the oak treatment. Displaying loads of pinosity. Sweet fruit on the palate and a lovely, refreshing acidity. Intense and aromatic. Not much tannins, though, and the sweet juiciness risks to take over, but it is saved by the acidity which makes it deliciously refreshing. A slight bitterness in the end gives it some structure, but on the whole it is lacking a bit in structure. Very tasty, lovely pinosity, but not the most complex of wines. Still, it makes me smile. and that is never wrong with a wine!
Cheers,
Anders
PS. Retasted after a couple of hours in a glass, it has in fact developed more structure. The dominant fruitiness is now a little less forward and the tannins are less hidden behind all that Pinot fruit. The ending bitterness makes it nicely chewable. A nice development that makes me wish I had more bottles of this wine in my cellar.

Sounds like a nice wine from a very difficult year.

Sounds like a nice wine from a very difficult year.

It was, Sue. What was the difficulty in 2004?
/A

Three frosts in the spring, coldest February ever recorded in Central Otago (and Feb is the height of summer) and then some vineyards were frosted again in April before the grapes were picked, as the harvest had been put back because of the spring frosts and the cold summer.
We were in Central Otago in April 2004, no-one had started picking anywhere (except perhaps Quartz Reef for sparkling wine). I had hoped to have a day harvesting while Neil was at Warbirds over Wanaka. After Warbirds, when we drove through the Gibbston Valley subregion adjacent to the State Highway from Queenstown to Cromwell, leaves were falling off the vines because they had succumbed to frost and there was fruit that hadn't even undergone veraison. Note, there are lots of vineyards here, not just Gibbston Valley vineyard.
Wild Earth has some Bannockburn fruit, and that area came off better overall - the vines actually looked greenish instead of brown.
In the Lowburn area, where Wild Earth also has vines, we went though the Amisfield vineyard where vines under the frost wind generating machines were okay, but some of the vines further up the knoll, where the machines didn't reach, also succumbed to the freezing temperatures.
In Bendigo, which is the hottest subregion on Central Otago, it was interesting seeing vines on slopes that were frosted at the bottom of the slope but fine as they start to climb the hill.
Needless to say, it was a pretty small vintage for Central Otago that year too.

Thanks a lot for the detailed information, Sue, Most valuable! Do you have any opinion on the wines of Wild Earth in general?
Cheers, Anders

Yes! I really like their Rieslings.

They also have a second label called 'Blind Trail'. Here's some of my pinot reviews.

Blind Trail Central Otago Pinot Noir 2006 (sc) Semi-opaque purple garnet. Hauntingly smoky with spiced cherry on the nose. Ripe and juicy in the palate with a velvety texture, tart red fruits, hints of plums, spicy oak, dried herbs and a suggestion of rose petal on the perfumed finish. There's a lovely earthy savouriness to the wine, which delivers exceptional quality and amazing complexity for its $23 price tag. Try it with bangers - beef, herb and garlic sausages are sensational. All Felton Road fruit with 8 months in oak, 30% new. 14% alc. NZ$23.00. Tasted 19Aug2007.

Wild Earth Central Otago Pinot Noir 2005 (sc) Deep cherry red with flashes of violet. Heavenly aromas of cherry, rose petal and hints of zest. Ripe and juicy with chocolate, oak and spice, cherry, cranberry and hints of guava. Fine and silky, earthy and intriguing with orange zest emerging again with chocolate and spice on the persistent finish. A blend of 55% Bannockburn and 45% Lowburn fruit with 10 months in French oak barriques, 45% new. 14% alc. NZ$38.00 Tasted 19Aug2007.

Wild Earth Central Otago Pinot Noir 2004 A little closed on the nose at first but it opens up to become fully aromatic with smoky, savoury oak, vanilla and concentrated cherry. The oak is quite powerful in the palate but it fits this complex, earthy, style that is crammed with dark fruits of the forest, mushroom and spices. The finish is long and creamy with a savoury sweetness as it lingers. A robust mouthfilling pinot with terrific length and a dark, earthy, mysterious edge. A blend of Bannockburn and Lowburn fruit. 13.5% alc. NZ$38. Tasted 10Mar2006.

Cheers,
Sue

Great thread for those of us unable to find much NZ PN!! Very educational.
Sue, enjoyed the snowfall pic on your website..and the Brunton Rd Pinot Gris note.