WTN: TerraVin Pinot Noir Omaka Valley New Zealand.

2003 TerraVin Pinot Noir Omaka Valley New Zealand. $15 by the glass, $50 by the bottle at Endless Vine. http://www.endlessvine.com/ 13% alcohol. Cork closure.

Deep red color, deep hue, good aroma of cherries and flowers, very good flavors of fruit and flowers, medium mouth feel, light tannins, perhaps a bit too much oak, long lingering finish with some interesting notes, but overall more of a sipping wine than a serious food Pinot Noir. Just right for drinking at the bar and talking, but not good enough to take home, certainly not at this price point. There's a Reserve version of this wine with more exposure to oak -- I wouldn't look for it. (The labelling makes much of the fact that the vines were grown on hillsides -- seems so odd to make such a point -- doesn't Bacchus love the hills in New Zealand?) 3*.

From the winery:

Winemaker: Mike Weersing. http://www.terravin.co.nz/
Technical Data
Harvest Date: 18-28 March 2003
Brix at Harvest: 24.1-25.2
Winemaker: Fiona Buchanan and blended by Mike Weersing
Clones: UCD 5 , UCD 6, Am 10/5, B114, B115, B667, B777
Barrels: Boutes, Fracois Frere, Gilet -- 11 months
Alcohol Levels: 13.1%
Residual Sugar: Dry

Bob,

Hillside plantings are a relatively recent phenomenon in NZ. The owner of this lable was the original developer of the Clayvin Vineyard, pretty widely acknowledged as one of the first hillside efforts in Marlborough--he's since moved on to do TerraVin.

Agree that price is a concern with this label (the pricier "Hillside Selection" carries a suggested retail price of US$59), but at least there is some real effort being made there to do something different from the majority of Marlborough Pinot Noirs.

Thanks, Joe. Very helpful. I'll try more of their wines -- it's always nice to see folks try new things. Regards, Bob

I agree with Joe.

Hillside plantings have become a bit of a trend in NZ and have allowed some unfancied locations (e.g. Queenstown) to produce some really fantastic wines.

Wineries I can think of include Gibbston Valley Winery, Peregrine Winery, and Waitiri Creek, all of which have some plantings on quite steep gradients increasing sunshine exposure hours and average daily temperatures.

Cheers

Scott

Bob,

Hillside plantings are a relatively recent phenomenon in NZ. The owner of this lable was the original developer of the Clayvin Vineyard, pretty widely acknowledged as one of the first hillside efforts in Marlborough--he's since moved on to do TerraVin.

Agree that price is a concern with this label (the pricier "Hillside Selection" carries a suggested retail price of US$59), but at least there is some real effort being made there to do something different from the majority of Marlborough Pinot Noirs.