Time of year for bottling new vintage of pinot noir

The cycle of the vineyard/winery year means space is at a premium as harvest draws near. Tanks and barrels are needed for all the new juice that will be coming into wineries so it’s commonly a time for many to bottle the previous year’s pinot noir.

That frees up the barrels for the new crop, while commercially it provides a new vintage to sell. While I expect to see some ’22s shortly, the release cycles of wineries vary. Some prefer to hold back wine to mature further before release, as is evident in today’s selection.

2021 Misha’s Vineyard The High Note Single Vineyard Pinot

Price  RRP $48
Rating Excellent

Fruit to the fore, raspberry, 
ripe cranberry, delightful 
freshness, wild herb 
complexity in the mix. 
Tangy juiciness quite 
evident, bright, zesty, hits 
the refreshment button, 
but there’s complexity 
underneath, too. 
Brimming with fruit, 
lead pencil/shavings in 
support, grainy tannins 
adding crunchy 
chewiness. Already 
offering enjoyment, but 
potential her too.

www.mishasvineyard.com

2020 Carrick The Magnetic Organic Bannockburn Pinot Noir 

Price RRP $65
Rating Outstanding

Forest floor, earthy touches, 
in the savoury spectrum, 
the fruit popping out from 
under that veil. Silky entry 
before inherent power 
reveals itself, dry, 
chewy, fine grained 
tannins, fruit happily 
supporting the whole. 
Effortless, feels all 
about the wine rather 
than winemaker artifice 
with great balance and 
super length. Structure, 
complexity and quite 
serious.

www.carrick.co.nz

2018 Domaine Rewa Central Otago Pinot Noir

Price RRP $65
Rating Very Good to Excellent

Refined oak scents, a 
herbal underlay, perfume, 
ripe fruit, subtle yet 
engaging. A tautness and 
structural backbone to 
this, "standing at 
attention" rather than 
"at ease" and clearly 
built to complement 
food, where it will be 
very much at home. 
Powerfully tannic and 
feels relatively 
youthful, a little 
charry element 
framing the finish. 

www.domainerewa.com

2020 Black Quail Bannockburn Pinot Noir

Price RRP $55
Rating Excellent to Outstanding

Nose leaps out of the 
glass, perfume, oak 
scents, tilled earth, 
savoury nuances, ripe 
fruits, a wild touch 
later. Sweetly fruited 
yet an attractively dry 
finish, the accent on 
raspberry & red fruits, 
savoury and wild herb 
nuances add 
complexity. Dances on 
the palate, lovely 
weight yet not over big, 
deceptively powerful 
tannins and wonderful 
carry. Balance.

www.blackquail.co.nz

2020 Carrick Bannockburn Organic Pinot Noir 

Price RRP $47
Rating Outstanding

Perfume, lead pencil, 
smoke, fruit, nothing out 
of place here. Generous 
without being "cuddly", a 
raw velvety quality, 
powerful tannic 
structure, this one’s a 
stealth bomber 
creeping up on you 
with its class, depth 
and fabulous length. 
Picks up black tea 
notes with time, 
balanced and nicely 
poised, complex and 
constantly evolving. 
Super stuff.

www.carrick.co.nz

2020 McArthur Ridge McArthur Alexandra Pinot Noir

Price RRP $80
Rating Excellent 

Plummy fruit, perfumed 
oak, a toffee oak hint, quite 
youthful, adding summer 
fruits; a sense of depth to 
this. The palate is brightly 
fresh, tangy, fruit pastille, 
a touch of salinity, 
coolness, then a darker 
undercurrent with 
graphite, tar, cranberry 
& blueberry, the 
flavours hanging. 
Youthful vibrancy, an 
each-way bet with both 
immediacy and 
potential.

www.mcarthurridge.nz