2012 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Te Muna Road Martinborough

Like its 2013 stablemate the pretty and lightly wooded nose is on the reserved side and here too it requires some diligent swirling to coax the mostly red berry fruit, floral and spice scents to reveal themselves. There is a rounded, even gentle mouth feel to the rich and velvety middle weight flavors that are quite seductively textured before culminating in a dusty and moderately firm and persistent finale. This is also already relatively approachable and could be enjoyed now or held for a few more years first.

Medium ruby in color, the 2012 Te Muna Road Vineyard Pinot noir has very pretty red cherry, raspberry and pomegranate notes over hints of violets, pepper and moss. Light to medium-bodied with just enough elegant flavour supported by chewy tannins, it finishes with good persistence.

Elegant, with dried floral, baked apple and white pepper aromas and Earl Grey tea, wet clay and wild strawberry notes. The texture is supple, verging on creamy. Drink now through 2025.-M.W

This is a Narnia wine, its flavors otherworldly, their shape as regal and bold as a lion's mane, the ruff of a strange and magical beast feeding on onion grass, herbs, flowers and then meat grilled over an open fire. It has a vibrant lightness and energy that lives in the shadows. This grows on the top terrace at Te Muna Road, where the Huangarua River left a deep bed of gravel and stones under a thin surface of sandy loam more than 20,000 years ago. Steve Smith, MW, planted eight clones of pinot noir segmented into 40 blocks, harvested late after a cool season, fermented with 10 percent whole clusters in oak vats and stainless steel tanks, and aged the wine in French oak barriques (25 percent new). All of that combines into a pinot noir with outrageous complexity and the vitality to support it for a decade in the bottle. -J.G.

Det er forbundet med stor prestige at lave Pinot Noir vine. Den dyrkes i lidt køligere klima, og den er meget sart. Bourgogne er kendt for sine fløjlsbløde Pinot Noir vine. New Zealand har vist sig at være et klima der kan gøre Bourgogne rangen stridig når det gælder Pinot Noir.

Særdeles indsmigrende Pinot Noir med jord, flint og våd kælder i næsen, cremet mund med kirsebærsødme, røg, timian, hvid peber og lakrids og lang intensiv eftersmag med noter af daggammel kaffe. Høj klasse.