WINE TASTINGS
MARY-THERESE BLAIR finds fruitforward pinot noir from Marlborough dominating the best list.
The best pinot noir and other reds
FOR QUITE SOME TIME there was a prevailing thought in certain circles about New Zealand pinot noir: if it wasn’t a Central Otago powerhouse pinot then it simply wasn’t the best that we had to offer.
Well, as Dylan said, the times they are a-changin’ and these days great pinot noir comes in a range of styles from every wine region that grows this notoriously fickle grape. Eight of these top ten pinot noirs originate from Marlborough and head judge Ben Glover was quick to reflect on the fruit-forward nature that enabled these top pinots to shine. Wines teeming with complex aromatic profiles featuring cherries, plums and ripe berries, from grapes that have clearly been handled mindfully and skillfully by talented winemakers with the aim of creating great wine with balance and poise. Nothing forced or contrived, just delicious, wellgrown pinot noir that is able to say as much with a whisper as could be said with a roar. True power, it seems, lies in restraint.