The results
With 116 wines Recommended or above, and many as low as £11, this was a succesful tasting from ‘the best Pinot-producing country outside France’, says Christelle Guibert
With 172 Wines on show, from a country that has built up a reputation for phenomenal Pinot noir, it was not surprising that our three experts were excited about this tasting; expectations were very high.
Philip tuck MW believes that new Zealand makes the best Pinot noir outside France – a view shared by Christine Parkinson. ‘it’s definitely the best new World producer at the moment, though there are other countries trying to catch up,’ she said. ‘What makes new Zealand interesting is the combination of fruit purity, the delightful acidity thanks to a relatively cool climate, intelligent winemaking and moderate alcohol levels.’
the panel had mixed views on regionality. tuck didn’t think that distinct characteristics were obvious. ‘As with Burgundy, you get more winemaker influence in Pinot noir, and this will probably override any regional characters. i suspect regionality may come with vine age.’ Parkinson pointed out, ‘it’s not that the vines are 30 years old in a country that’s been growing Pinot for five centuries. it’s a country that has only been growing grapes for 30 years, so everything is still a learning curve for producers.’
Melanie Brown praised the relatively new south island region of north Canterbury ‘the wines showed elegance and purity, and were exceptionally approachable. it’s a slightly different style to all the other regions and i think it’s one to watch for Pinot.’
Parkinson and Brown felt Martinborough and Central Otago were the most promising regions with distinct personalities. Brown described Martinborough’s wines as ‘generous, savoury and broader on the palate’, while Central Otago ‘was more fruit-forward and opulent’.
Our experts came to the tasting with a idea that Marlborough was going to be the best region but were left rather disappointed. Parkinson found the wines inconsistent. ‘We saw some very different styles which