Pinot noir can be light and peppery or rich and oaky, and both styles can be attractive, but it's always best when the fruit, oak, acidity and tannins are in balance.
BEST VALUE
$20
Four stars (out of five)
Good value
Made from Bannockburn and Lowburn fruit, this has a peppery edge and a lively intensity with savoury undertones, hints of spice and cherry plums, and a lingering, textural finish.
$28
Three and a half stars
Average value
Sweet red fruits with underlying oak, an attractive texture and balance. Very drinkable.
$28
Three and a half stars
Average value
A big wine with lots of oak hinting of freshly roasted coffee and spice, but the attractive red fruits come through and lead to a crisp, lively finish. Give it a few more months for the oak to integrate.
$35
Three and a half stars
Below average value
A hint of pepper on the nose and lots of dusty, spicy, oak suggesting chocolate and coffee overwhelms the fruit. This is definitely for those who like oaky wine.
$40
Four stars
Average value
A big wine with understated power, sweet dark fruit, a lot of underlying spicy oak and hints of mineral. Although three years old, it's still firm and tight and may benefit from a few more years bottle age. One of the few pinots closed with a cork.
$42
Four stars
Average value
A perfumed wine from Gibbston fruit with a hint of pepper and dried herbs, ripe red fruits, and a silky texture softening the firm underlying structure. It took a few minutes in the glass to open but then was charming drinking.
ANOTHER GLASS
Wild Irishman Bannockburn Pinot Noir 2011
$42
Four stars
Average value
Another wine from Alan Brady, this time with dark fruits and a lot of spicy oak, hints of mint and mineral, a firm backbone, and a complex, spicy finish. Will develop with bottle age.
Brancott Special Reserve Pinot Noir 2011
$29
Three stars
Below average value
With herbal aromas, almost reminiscent of sauvignon blanc, dark fruits and a savoury, firm crisp finish, this is a blend of Marlborough and Central Otago fruit, but seems not to have captured the charm of either region.
