Both are pretty good, yet they're quite different in style. The Oyster Bay shows lean, herbaceous flavors more akin to the Old World, compared with the ripe, oak-accented Nobilo Icon, showing a more New World style.
Oyster Bay 2012 Marlborough Pinot Noir ($14.99)
Clear ruby color, quite dark at the core but shading quickly to a clear edge. Light red fruit and a pleasant whiff of ripe, just-cut tomato - a characteristic that I often find in cool-climate Pinot Noir - shows in the nose and on the palate. It's brisk and acidic in the flavor, tart and palate-cleansing, rather light-bodied, with a soft edge of tannins and a hint of stony minerality in the finish.
13% alcohol in a wine that's distinctly Pinot Noir, more reminiscent of the Old World than the New. U.S. importer: Oyster Bay Wines USA, NYC. (Nov. 1, 2017)
FOOD MATCH: Fine with beef, burgers and meatloaf. It would also go well with Pinot's alternate companions: salmon, mushrooms, and cheeses.
WHEN TO DRINK: The sturdy metal screwcap - almost ubiquitous in New Zealand wines - will help preserve it, and there's no rush to drink it up now. I doubt that it will evolve with cellaring, though, so might as well enjoy it over the next year or so and then buy more recent vintages.
VALUE:I skated in for a buck less than
Wine-Searcher.com's $16 average U.S. retail; it's a good value in the middle teens.
WEB LINKHere's a detailed fact sheet on Oyster Bay Pinot Noir from its producer.
FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:Locate vendors and check prices for
Oyster Bay Marlborough Pinot Noir on Wine-Searcher.com.
Nobilo Icon 2013 Marlborough Pinot Noir ($19.99)
Rather dark ruby in color, with reddish-orange glints against the light. Mixed fruits, blackberries and plums and red and black cherries, with a distinct but not overwhelming edge of warm, spicy oak. Mouth-filling fruit and good body on the palate, red and black fruit and gentle spice over tart acidity, with soft tannins becoming more apparent in the long finish. Moderate 13% alcohol doesn’t intrude. U.S. importer: Constellation Imports, Gonzales, Calif. (Nov. , 2017)
FOOD MATCH: Lamb; salmon or tuna, mushroom and cheese dishes are its natural territory for matching, but like most Pinot, it’s versatile. It worked nicely here with a simple Tuscan dish of large white beans (Royal Coronas from Rancho Gordo) drizzled with good olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper; thin slices of Parmigiano Reggiano alone made it sing.
WHEN TO DRINK: No rush, particularly with the stout metal cap, but I don’t see it as a Pinot with long-term aging potential. Drink up over the next few years.
VALUE:Wine-Searcher.com's $20 average U.S. retail is on the steep side, but it can be found widely in the middle teens, at which point it's a very good value. Check
Wine Searcher for good buys at sources convenient for you.
WEB LINKHere's a fact sheet on Nobilo Icon Marlborough Pinot Noir from the winery website.
FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:Find vendors and compare prices for
Nobilo Icon Marlborough Pinot Noir on Wine-Searcher.com.