As pinot floods on to the market from the big 2008 vintage, new brands and new labels from established brands are appearing, such as Ant Moore, Bracken's Order and Balancing Act, or Carrick's Crown and Cross.
Some offer reasonable value, but don't forget brands that have been around a while like Rockburn, Mt Difficulty or Pisa Range - many of them have built reliable track records.
◊ BEST VALUE
$29
Since it first appeared a few years ago I've enjoyed Tom's Block for the balance of its opulent, dark, spicy notes and its dancing liveliness.
Winemaker Tim Finn manages to harmonise hints of plum, cherry and strawberry fruit with smoky oak and produce a textural wine with weight on the palate and a lingering aftertaste.
Delicious now and for the next few years.
Four stars (out of five)
Good value
$20
A new line from Annie Winmill who also produces the well-priced Pick and Shovel pinot.
This is perhaps a little lighter and leaner, but with attractive sweet fruit, a hint of spice and a zesty herbal lift.
Two stars (out of five)
Average value
$30
Ant Moore, who produces several Marlborough brands, recently bought the Central Otago Vintners winery in Cromwell.
This pinot is spicy and zingy with hints of toffee, toast and bright cherry plums but there's an underlying depth of flavour and a firm grip on the finish.
Three stars (out of five)
Average value
$34
A new line from the Carrick vineyard at Cairnmuir near Cromwell, this zesty, powerful yet charming wine oozes deep cherry and berry flavours supported by a savoury hint and a lingering aftertaste.
Three and a half stars (out of five)
Average value
$35
This wine produced by Arrow River Wines from fruit grown in Gibbston, has a nice balance between the darker flavours of spicy oak and cherries, and the lively, slightly edgy overtones that give it an exciting lift.
Four stars (out of five)
Good value
$47
While others are releasing their 08s, it's nice to see wine held back an extra few months until it's drinking deliciously as this is.
There's a zesty hint of mint among the opulence of cherries and plums, complex savoury undertones suggesting forest floor, a dense but harmonious mouthfeel and a firm finish.
Four stars (out of five)
Average value
◊ ANOTHER GLASS
$28
Foxes Island's entry level brand, Fox Junior provides simpler but characteristic varietal wines.
This hints of beeswax, raspberries and cherryplums with a hint of toffee and a firm finish.
Three stars (out of five)
Average value
$31
A different style from most of the other pinots in this tasting, this appears more developed, with vegetal hints of funky forest floor underlying the sweet fruit and spicy oak, but the wine is stylish and drinking nicely now.
Three stars (out of five)
Average value
$37
An attractive wine oozing red fruits with savoury undertones hinting of mushrooms and hokey pokey, supported by spicy oak.
Three stars (out of five)
Below average value
$22
Popular for its affordability, this has all the typical Central Otago characters - sweet fruit hinting of cherries, spicy oak, a hint of green herbs and a firm finish.
Two and a half stars (out of five)
Average value
$45
With typical Bannockburn characteristics of cherries, chocolate and spicy oak, this young wine is developing a hint of savouriness and ends with a firm, well structured finish.
I expect it will develop more charm and harmony with another year in the bottle as previous vintages have done.
Three and a half stars (out of five)
Below average value
$44
A stylish wine, drinking well now despite its youth, this hints of strawberries, plums and cherries supported by oak and a hint of spice.
Nicely balanced with a lively finish.
Will develop with another few months or a year's bottle age.
Four stars (out of five)
Average value
$49
Grown in the warm Hakataramea Valley near Kurow, this fragrant wine is immediately seductive with hints of dark cherries, strawberries, oodles of spicy oak with overtones of toast, dark chocolate, and a crisp finish.
An attractive, even cuddly wine, especially compared with its leaner, edgy stablemate, the Pasquale Waitaki Pinot Noir 2008.
Three and a half stars (out of five)
Below average value
$65
One of New Zealand's flagship pinot noirs, this hints of beeswax, smoky bacon and strawberry jam, with savoury undertones of coffee and dark chocolate from the toasty oak.
It's a young wine with a lively finish, but the concentration, harmony and balance lift it above many of the others.
Give it another few months or a year or so to develop its potential.
Four stars (out of five)
Below average value
Although wine sent for review is tasted blind to eliminate preconceptions, all wine tasting and evaluation is subjective. These are personal recommendations.
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.
