Astrolabe Voyage Pinot Noir 2008
$36, Screwcap, 13.5%
Source: Sample
www.astrolabewines.co.nz

The desk loves it too

The book in the photo above came with these Astrolabe wines and I’m happy to say that it moved me more than a little (I’m not always grumpy you see). Said book details (pictorially) the grape harvest at the Astrolabe Vineyard, showcasing what is both a stunning part of the world and also the intricacies of what will always be a fascinating process.

Love the book and the intent.

This wine too starts off beautifullly, with a real meaty, musky, riper styled Marlborough nose showing black pepper, cherry and just a hint of dried fig. With more time in the glass it gets muskier, more fleshy and more attractive. Nice.

Fittingly the palate is also fleshy, generous and ripe, the fruit quite luscious and rounded, if bound up on through mid palate by tight acidity. Finish is light with fine tannins that fall away just a fraction, the length and the form not quite matching the promise of the nose.

A lovely smelling, round and approachable wine, this just needs a fraction more persistence and it would be an absolute winner. 16.8/89