Young wines sometimes take a while to reveal their charms, as several of these pinot noirs did.
Leave them in the glass for 20 minutes and they may well become more fragrant. This indicates the likelihood of developing with a few years bottle age.
BEST UNDER $20
$19
Two-and-a-half stars (out of five)
Average value
A lively wine with hints of red fruits, toasty oak, and a savoury, spicy undertone with a crisp, lively edge.
BEST VALUE
$22.50
Three-and-a-half stars
Good value
Fragrant with hints of plums, spice and honey when first opened, but after a few minutes developed more complexity with suggestions of beetroot, black pepper and mineral, and an underlying warmth and savouriness. Attractive and easy.
$22
Three stars
Average value
An attractive, silky wine with hints of spice, berries and dark chocolate, mellowed flavours and a firm finish.
$25
Three stars
Average value
Michael Pearce and Michael Poff aim to produce good wine that fits shoestring budgets in this new label. This is fragrant, almost confected, with hints of juicy plum, mineral, a spicy, oaky undertone and crisp, textural finish.
$39
Three-and-a-half stars
Below average value
A stylish wine from Bendigo with ripe, dark fruit and a firm structure, with underlying spicy oak, hints of mineral and a silky texture with a crisp edge.
$42
Four stars
Average value
A classy, complex wine from this leading producer, fragrant with layers of fruit and floral hints, savoury, mineral undertones, underlying black pepper, spicy oak, rich, mouthfilling and extural with an exciting, crisp finish. Will develop with four or five years bottle age.
ANOTHER GLASS
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 15 Strip Block Marlborough Pinot Noir 2009
$33.50
Four stars
Good value
From Saint Clair's single vineyard range, this Block 15 is perfumed with attractive red fruits, enlivened by hints of black pepper and an exciting edge, but its firm structure and seductively silky texture give it great charm.
Greywacke Marlborough Pinot Noir 2009
$47
Four stars
Average value
A stylish, understated wine with suggestions of mineral, plums and spicy oak, a firm structure, silky richness, harmony and balance, giving it elegance and class. Well worth cellaring for a year or two.
Although wine sent for review is tasted blind to eliminate preconceptions, all wine tasting and evaluation is subjective. These are personal recommendations. charmian.smith@odt.co.nz
Two stars - simple, clean, enjoyable wine; three stars - good wine with varietal characteristics; four stars - very good wine with some outstanding characteristics; five stars - outstanding wine with balance and harmony that leaves you with a sense of wonder.
