RRP $110 / 750ml
Every year we fill hundreds of French oak barrels with Pinot Noir, and every year I search for those individual barrels that most eloquently speak of site and season. We present the results of that search to you here with a wine that exhibits the attributes I enjoy most about Pinot Noir; subtlety, elegance and personality.
This wine exemplifies the sophistication of Pinot Noir that comes from Gibbston. In the glass the colour is an opalescent light garnet and when taken to the nose you are rewarded with a wonderful aroma of spice and florals with a lovely nuance of oak. Letting the wine 'breathe' for a while will reward you with delicate forest floor characters. Restrained strawberry and raspberry flavours are suspended on a fabulous acid structure and very fine tannins compliment the taste experience. This is a beautifully structured, balanced wine. The finish is long and lingering. Overall, the wine is delicate yet powerful, somewhat reminiscent of wines from the spiritual home of Pinot Noir.
-PDF Tasting Notes
Awards & Accolades
97 points (5 stars), Sam Kim for Wine Orbit "Stylish and seductive, offering aromas of dark plum, sweet cherry, thyme, warm mushroom, game, and nutmeg. The palate is wonderfully balanced, featuring a silky mouthfeel and a rich, fleshy texture. The tannins are fine and beautifully integrated, making the wine harmonious and persistent, with a splendidly structured finish."
95 points, Stephen Wong (The Real Review) "Ripe, complex and savoury, this has dried berry, sumac, spice, flint and porcini packed onto a tangy palate with grainy tannins and persistent salted plum flavours. Already expressive and layered, this has an exotic expression with spice bazaar notes on the long finish which are accessible now but will no doubt continue to evolve in bottle"
93 points, Dave Brooks (James Halliday Wine Companion) "Pinot noir from the Dick Bunton vineyard in Gibbston. Mid-ruby in the glass with characters of dark cherry, ripe raspberry, wild strawberry and red plum fruit with hints of fine spice, ruby-red grapefruit, riverstone, crushed berbs and leaf litter. Bisvuity oak flows in with a bit more volume on the palate. The fruit shows a lovely purity and tension, with the mineral-rich acidity and fine, silty tannins providing just the right amount of structure as the wine trails off."
4 stars - Michael Cooper, New Zealand Listener
