Description

One of the classic Martinborough wineries. Their fortunes have turn further of late with the adoption of Neudorf’s head winemaker. They make a range of wines but Pinot Noir is what they excel at. With 8 vineyards around the terrace they have a lot of options that they exploit to their fullest.

Bright, rich, vibrant, aromatic. Classic Pinot Noir. Strawberry, cherry and raspberries great you upfront, dig a little deeper and you see some coffee/toasty oak, black pepper and a small shaving of truffle. There is plenty of flesh on the palate with the fine grain tannins kicking in from the mid palate. A clean and dry finish means you want another glass. Ideally this wine would be put away until its fifth birthday. Duck in a hoisin sauce would be nice with this wine.

Martinborough – A sub-region of the Wairarapa region is still relatively new. Really it has only been a commercial site since the early 1980s. Most of the region’s vineyards are concentrated around the town of Martinborough on special soils that are referred to as ‘The Martinborough Terrace’. Low rainfall, large diurnal temperature fluctuations and strong winds all contribute to its unique terroir. They have built a strong reputation for quality Pinot Noir.

Pinot Noir – This is the most elusive grape. It is relatively early ripening and extremely sensitive to terroir. Its perfect place on earth is the Cote d’Or in Burgundy. So haunting are great red Burgundy’s charms that growers everywhere try to emulate them. Pinot Noir is not just a one trick pony, it can make great reds, rosé, sparkling and even sweet wines, whites on occasion and I’ve tasted a decent fortified Pinot Noir too.