Tonight there were twelve Pinots to taste with a trend towards NZ wines, as one would expect with the campus being based out of Christchurch. All the Pinots are served blind, with no prior knowledge of the wines whatsoever. There were four flights of three, and after tasting each flight the floor was open for discussion and the wines revealed one by one. My impressions and thoughts are below.
Flight One
PN1
Light crimson, almost brownish colour. Quite a floral nose, with dried herbs and a hint of red cherry. Gamey notes begin to emerge with vigorous swirling. Seems to be at its peak now, with some acid still evident and almost a sour cherry on the palate - but not unpleasant. Tannins are fine and integrated. Pretty good wine, but not a great Pinot. I chose not to have a punt on region (well, I missed the boat really, I was still working away on the third wine). This was revealed as the 2003 Daniel Schuster Pinot from Waipara.
PN2
Colour is great. A dark, nearly opaque red with a purple dusting. A lot of sophistication on the nose. Definite promise given the good quality fruit (raspberry and black cherry) and cassis, plus smooth vanilla oak. Tastes young, with cherry fruit and spice on the palate. Good structure and tannins that need a couple of years to soften. Lingering finish. This was best wine of the first flight and correctly identified as a resident of Central Otago. It was the 2003 Carrick Pinot.
PN3
Light crimson colour. Nose with a fair smack of damp, toasty oak and a leafy, Volkswagen aroma (VW = Herby
). Not an enticing nose. Good cherry in the mouth with nice, subtle flavours rolling over the tongue; there is good balance here. Finish is satisfying. There is some good winemaking evident, but the wine is let down by the nose. Picked as Marlborough. 2002 Cloudy Bay Pinot.
Flight Two
PN4
Crimson red colour. Raspberry and violets on the nose, with a lick of oak. There's also a real sweet or ripe fruit character, a bit like candy. The mid palate is MIA, there is a great big hole here. Finish is sour with a thin mouthfeel. I did not like this at all, especially after the poor performance in the mouth. I thought maybe a Marlborough wine from a good year with an inexperienced winemaker. Imagine my surprise. 2002 Faiveley Nuits St George from Burgundy.
PN5
Deep red colour with crimson edges. Great nose - you can almost smell the viscousness. Is this the Burgundy? (said I before the wines were revealed at the end of the flight) Perfumed, with black cherry and musk. Gamey, with forest floor aromas too - a complex nose. Great fruit across the palate with black berry and cherry reinforced by a velvety mouthfeel. Long finish. Class wine - best yet. 2003 Palliser Estate Pinot from Martinborough.
PN6
Heavily extracted, dark red colour with purple hue - brilliant 'non-Pinot' colour. A reserved, closed nose, with herbs slowly coming to the fore. Almost a floral, timid nose (in contrast to its dazzling colour) which makes me think this wine needs a lot of breathing - it's gotta be a youngster. The palate oozes black cherry and assorted dark fruits, tastes fantastic. Juicy mouthfeel with a glorious finish. This needs time, but should be sensational. Picked as Central Otago, it was indeed the 2004 Felton Rd Pinot.
Flight Three
PN7
Crimson red colour. Pretty funky nose, with some brett-like aromas flying around, slowly blowing off to reveal cedar oak and violets. The oak is strong on the palate too, further exemplified by a toasty finish. Wine is full in the mouth, with cherry fruit very subtly weaving a path across the tongue. I'm a bit confused with this one. I really need to taste it again once it's had a good decant, or give it six months in the bottle. Really had a guess that this might be Waipara (after mentally eliminating a lot of other NZ regions), and it was. 2003 Muddy Water Pinot.
PN8
Crimson with a light brown hue. Nose is almost fortified, with dried prune fruit and dark cherry. Fruit smells over ripe. A little thin in the mouth, with a good amount of acid and decent finish. This is not varietal at all and I found it hard to get over those initial porty characters. I again went with Marlborough based on it being one of the warmer Pinot districts of NZ, but this was an Aussie. 2002 Pipers Brook Pinot from Tasmania.
PN9
Red colour with an ever so slight purple shade. Herb nose with red cherry and forest floor. Has a faint mocha character too. Raspberry and red cherry on the palate, with some astringency apparent too. Finish is okay, with delicate tannins. Not bad, but not great. This was almost boringly Pinot. I thought maybe somewhere on the North Island. 2003 Gibbston Valley Pinot from Central Otago.
Flight Four
PN10
Dark crimson colour, with an aged, tawny look to it. Very gamey nose, full of damp forest floor and black cherry. Has a lightweight mouthfeel, yet possesses a seamless finish that perhaps pulls up a wee bit short. There is raspberry and cherry fruit on the palate, musk and some leftover acid. Balanced and drinking well right now, it won't get any better. 2002 Gibbston Valley "Gold River" Pinot from Central Otago.
PN11
Good colour extraction; a dark, dilute ink with purple tinges. Has a fruit driven nose (cherry and plum) with complementary floral aromatics. Fruit carries through onto palate, with confectionary flavours sneaking around in a wine guise. Nothing ouf of place here, but a short finish detracts from the wine's appeal. Just mediocre. 2004 Coopers Creek Pinot from Marlborough.
PN12
A brown/red 'cloudy concoction', I was tempting fate by trying this after spying a fellow taster recoil as if suffering whiplash from his first sniff. Very strawberry nose, with sweet fruit and lollyness. One taster shouted out 'fairy floss retrieved from the garbage bin' and this was probably quite an accurate descriptor. Offensive in the mouth, it was light, weak and lacking any sort of flavour. Had someone brought along their Grandfather's casks and mixed with red cordial? This had to be cheap cleanskin-like plonk, and it was. I didn't even catch the name, I was too busy rushing to the leftover Felton Rd to cleanse myself and say a Hail Mary.
Well, that's everything. Was an enjoyable evening and great to taste a dozen different Pinots under masked identities. I've walked away with very fond memories of the Palliser Estate and Carrick Pinots, and am very excited by the prospect of the '04 Felton Rd, given that it was only bottled recently and is a pup yet to mature.
Cheers,
he has been spending much of his spare time with one hand behind his back whilst the other has a pair of seceturs in them.