Some New Zealand Pinot Noir

Well I hardly ever can find a Pinot Noir from anywhere that tastes like Pinot and is $10 retail. This Greenstone Point '04 from Marlborough in New Zealand is my best exampe of Pinot at this price.

is my best exampe of Pinot at this price

Yes, but what is the competition?

Very droll, Mr R...again!!!!! You lighten up my evening after a tough day, LOL.

I would say that this wine is better than most Pinots in the $15-20 range. Generally I think you have to start at $15 to find anything that really tastes and smells like Pinot.

[Jenise]

Michael, how was your trip to NZ, or have you gone yet?

We went for 2 week in June. It was absolutely outstanding. We took in 2 cases of Oregon wines to taste with people there and they brought NZ wines. We also got to start the journey with NZ Wine Growers trade tasting in San Francisco. There were probably 40+ wineries represented there. I love the Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc but I am most impressed with the Pinot Noirs. There were so many excellent examples that were well priced. Basically for aour trip we hit the Wairarapa, Marlborough, and Nelson. Had we planned on going either north or south of this they had record snowfall. We would never have made it. I am going to have a big NZ consumer tasting in my store on Nov. 11th. I will probably have 10-12 producers represented. It should be fun.

I was in New Zealand in March. Here are some Pinot notes:

Neudorf Nelson Pinot Noir ‘04: Maybe I’m getting carried away, but this stuff reminds me an awful lot of a good Cote du Beaune. Well, maybe a good Mercurey. Whatever. Pretty cherry nose with a whiff of spicy funk, nice rich black cherry palate, with enough tannin and acidity to keep it from being just another fruit bomb.

Lake Hayes Central Otago Pinot Noir 2004: Second label for Amisfield. Funky, earthy nose, with some soft aromatic qualities underneath; smooth cherry notes on the palate, quiet finish. An easy-drinker.

Amisfield Pinot Noir 2004: Notes of tobacco and chocolate along with typical black cherry aroma on the nose. The palate offers good black cherry fruit, although said fruit is nearly overwhelmed by the strong note of French oak. This is the wine that was touted to me by friends before I left for New Zealand. Now I understand why: It’s quite Sonoma-like.

Peregrine Rose of Pinot Noir 2005: A very modestly endowed wine.

Peregrine Saddleback Pinot Noir 2004: The Saddleback wines combine Central Otago fruit with Marlborough fruit. Substantial nose of currants and violets; red berries and leather on the palate; soft, medium-length finish. A crowd-pleaser.

Peregrine Pinot Noir 2004: Made mostly with fruit from the Cromwell basin vineyards, with some Gibbston fruit. Aged 10 months in French oak. Forthright black cherry nose, with some spicy vanilla notes, also hints of mushroom. Moderately assertive tannins on the palate, along with good berry flavors; spicy finish. Needs bottle ageing. This is much more in the Burgundian style than any other NZ pinot I’ve tasted so far.

Dave, did you try any Pinots from the Wairarapa region? This is in the south east corner of the North Island.

I was there earlier this year, and I had the pleasure of tasting some superb Pinot Noir.

Some examples were the Martinborough Vineyard '04 and the Palliser Estate '06.

I was wondering if anyone had an international perspective on the Pinots from this area; in my mind they are some of New Zealand's best.

Cheers

Scott

I was in New Zealand in March. Here are some Pinot notes:

Neudorf Nelson Pinot Noir ‘04: Maybe I’m getting carried away, but this stuff reminds me an awful lot of a good Cote du Beaune. Well, maybe a good Mercurey. Whatever. Pretty cherry nose with a whiff of spicy funk, nice rich black cherry palate, with enough tannin and acidity to keep it from being just another fruit bomb.

Lake Hayes Central Otago Pinot Noir 2004: Second label for Amisfield. Funky, earthy nose, with some soft aromatic qualities underneath; smooth cherry notes on the palate, quiet finish. An easy-drinker.

Amisfield Pinot Noir 2004: Notes of tobacco and chocolate along with typical black cherry aroma on the nose. The palate offers good black cherry fruit, although said fruit is nearly overwhelmed by the strong note of French oak. This is the wine that was touted to me by friends before I left for New Zealand. Now I understand why: It’s quite Sonoma-like.

Peregrine Rose of Pinot Noir 2005: A very modestly endowed wine.

Peregrine Saddleback Pinot Noir 2004: The Saddleback wines combine Central Otago fruit with Marlborough fruit. Substantial nose of currants and violets; red berries and leather on the palate; soft, medium-length finish. A crowd-pleaser.

Peregrine Pinot Noir 2004: Made mostly with fruit from the Cromwell basin vineyards, with some Gibbston fruit. Aged 10 months in French oak. Forthright black cherry nose, with some spicy vanilla notes, also hints of mushroom. Moderately assertive tannins on the palate, along with good berry flavors; spicy finish. Needs bottle ageing. This is much more in the Burgundian style than any other NZ pinot I’ve tasted so far.

Boy, I was surprized to see this old post come back. I would say that Martinborough is definitely my favorite area for Pinot because they seem to get this earthy component that so adds to the complexity. For my taste I really like that flavor profile that has shows some spice and earthiness in the aromatics with the fruit coming through on the palate. I certainly find this in many Pinots from New Zealand. I also find it in some of my favorite Oregon Pinots. Some of my most recent favorites have been Palliser 05, Escarpment 06, Ata Rangi 05, and Voss Estate 05, all from Martinborough. From Marlborough I was very impressed with Nautilus 06, Auntsfield 06, and Staete Landt 05. I could go on and on. Of course if you came by the store that I work at you would see about 30 Pinots from New Zealand and over 100 from Oregon. We are about 20 minutes from Willamette Valley wine country. I certainly find more and more people wanting good Pinot for good prices. That generally starts at the $15 level. I am also finding some nice ones from Chile, Argentina, and even Italy.

Boy, I was surprized to see this old post come back. I would say that Martinborough is definitely my favorite area for Pinot because they seem to get this earthy component that so adds to the complexity.

I think you will think even more highly of the Martinborough region, as well as the greater Wairarapa region - after the 2006 vintage. It really was a great one for them.