A Queenstown and Central Otago wrap-up (with wines)

Amisfield
The closest winery to Queenstown and apparently a great cellar door restaurant (was too full for us). The ’14 Pinot Gris here was a highlight, and the ’11 Pinot was delicious. The ’12 Pinot looked moody and angular next to the ’11 however. The sweetness was a bit overt on the ’12 Lowburn Terrace Riesling but the ’13 Dry Riesling was one of the better dry Rieslings around.


Carrick
I’ve always liked Carrick, with their Pinot carrying a more savoury, tannic form giving an appeal beyond just immediate drinking. The ’12 Pinot tying with the Mount Edward for ’12 vintage Pinot Noir of choice. I couldn’t get my head around the overly oaky ’13 Excelsior Pinot, which spends a huge 24 months in wood. Looks it too. A long term prospect perhaps? A special mention to the ’13 Crown & Cross Pinot Noir though, produced from the Desert Heart vineyard which has been sold to Sam Neil’s Two Paddocks. For $36NZ this was easily the best value wine of the trip. The whole Carrick range was of a high standard really.

Misha’s Vineyard
While much of the Pinot during my holiday was young, the mature ’09 Misha’s Vineyard ‘The Highnote’ Pinot was in a really good place. Gentle, evolved, with just a little mushroom to match its red fruit, this was satisfying and easy.


Mount Edward Pinot Noir 2012
The extra angles of the vintage made this a moodier wine than in some previous vintages, with more acidity and savoury character. Complex, cool and spicy, this was one of the better, more complete ’12 Pinots tasted. I’d drink this over many other wines.

Mt Difficulty
The Pinots are now ’13s at Mt Difficulty and they looked very youthful. Even the Roaring Meg is a seriously structured wine in ’13 and has the power and weight comparable to more expensive wines. The only challenge here is a little raw extraction, with the ’13 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir looking backward and a bit oaky. A top vintage for the winery though. I’d prefer the $46 ’13 Pinot Noir to the $90 ’12 Long Gully Pinot actually, with the younger/cheaper wine’s extra ripeness and structure looking much more promising, though time is required. The Rieslings here lacked sweetness balance, and the ’14 Pinot Rose, whilst serious, looked mighty dry and awkward.

Peregrine
Curiously, this range left me cold (and it doesn’t normally). The ’13 Saddleback Pinot was good value drinking, the ’12 Peregrine Pinot not memorable. A notable exception was the ’10 Rastaburn off-dry Riesling that, at five years, was actually in a good place.

Rippon
In a quality world of its own. The beautifully moody image at the top of this post is from Rippon. The ’13 Rippon Gewurtz was about the best non-Alsatian Gewurtz I’ve had in ages. I enjoyed a wonderful comparison of steely, bony and beautiful ’12 Rippon Riesling vs the more flashy, riper and drier ’11. Loved both. Intriguingly, the Pinots here are so much more purple compared to many other ’12 Central Otago Pinots. Curious. Is it an acidity thing? Clonal? Nonetheless, the ’12 Rippon Pinot was wonderfully delicate, yet ripe and alive. In fact, the only outlier here was the ’11 Osteiner, an odd little white wine that had acidity but little else going for it.

Terra Sancta
Just the one Terra Sancta wine, and probably not representative. The ’13 Mysterious Diggings Pinot is an entry-level wine in the scheme of things and looked rather simple and a bit jubey. Pleasant enough, but nothing more.

Two Paddocks
The delicacy of the Two Paddocks Pinots make this an easy go-to winery. Indeed the delicate, carefully gentle ‘I’ve been to Volnay’ ’13 Pinot was supremely drinkable. Effortless even, if not the deepest or more profound wine.

Valli
Just two quick wines from Valli, but again a reminder of just how good Grant’s wines can be. The new ’13 Gibbston Pinot Noir was absolutely delicious, bursting out of its skin with ripe fruits without looking unbalanced. Needs 12 months in bottle, but gee I’d be lining up for it. Ditto the Valli Waitaki Late Harvest Riesling which was beautifully fragrant and full flavoured, yet delicate too. Great balance.