Some of the 2012 pinot noirs are being released now but to get best value, especially from the more expensive, age-worthy ones, it's worth cellaring them for another year or so to allow them to mellow and integrate to develop their potential.
BEST VALUE
$45
4 stars
Great value
Lovely dark and red fruit with spicy undertones, hints of forest floor and chocolate, this is powerful and complex but with a fresh, lively, bright overtone. This is from the Alexandra vineyards.
twopaddocks.com
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
$22
3 stars
Good value
Sweet fruit suggesting raspberry and strawberry jam, with a hint of mineral and a long, slightly hard finish. This has added resveratrol, a component of red grapes that some claim has health benefits.
southernwines.co.nz
$25
3 stars
Good value
A fresh, youthful wine with hints of red fruit, herbs and spicy oak on the finish.
tinpothut.co.nz
$45
4 stars
Good value
Initially this wine appears light with hints of raspberries and strawberries, but when I went back to it 20 minutes later, it had developed a spicy intensity with sweet fruit, charm, and a full, textural finish.
surveyorthomson.co.nz
$63
4 stars
Good value
A perfumed wine, with suggestions of dark berries and mushrooms, lots of toasty, spicy oak, mellowed and silky yet intense, complex, charming and harmonious.
giesen.co.nz
$70
4 stars
Good value
One of New Zealand's most acclaimed pinot noirs, this is complex, bright, and elegant with a lively charm, red fruits, hints of pepper and spice, a silky texture, and a firm backbone and finish. This will develop for 8-10 years.
atarangi.co.nz
ANOTHER GLASS
Giesen Ridge Block Marlborough Pinot Noir 2012
$63
Four stars
Below average value
A big wine, dark, youthful, concentrated, oozing blackberries, cherries and other dark fruit, with a spicy, savoury undertone, a firm backbone, and fine-grained tannins. This will develop with bottle age.
giesen.co.nz
Domaine Rewa Central Otago Pinot Noir 2012
$39
Three and a half stars
Average value
There's a lot of spicy oak here almost overwhelming the sweet fruit at this stage, but the wine has a silky texture and is well structured with a good finish. Give it some months bottle age to integrate.
domainerewa.com
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