When did you taste your first Pinot Noir?
If it was less than 20 years ago, you're not alone. Today is International Pinot Noir Day and it's to the credit and talent of New Zealand's open minded winemakers that Aotearoa is now a serious producer of Pinot Noir. For most New Zealanders, Pinot Noir was barely heard of 20 years ago but today it is so much a part of this country's wine scene that it is extremely difficult to whittle down all of the very good Pinot Noirs to a list of 13. I would love to include the newly released 2019 Martinborough Vineyards Marie Zelie and also the fascinating Pegasus Bay blend of Pinot Noir with a smidgeon of Malbec, but that would make for a longer list than a baker's dozen allows. Suffice to say that Aotearoa is a hot bed of experimentation and high quality Pinot Noirs with both quality and quantity growing by the year.
Today, Pinot Noir is the second most important grape in New Zealand with 5,678 hectares of grapes grown nationwide, the vast majority of it in the South Island. Pinot Noir is second only to Sauvignon Blanc, which leads with an astronomic 27,084 hectares.
There are a lot of reasons to celebrate Pinot Noir today and not all of them come from New Zealand but being based in this country leads me to this top 12 (oops, 13; it's a baker's dozen).
A baker's dozen top Pinot Noirs from Aotearoa
Central Otago Pinot Noir
2022 Grasshopper Rock Pinot Noir RRP $40
The 2022 harvest was one of the easiest for many years in Earnscleugh, just outside of Alexandra; the most eastern and one of the driest regions in Central Otago. Poor fruit set in spring meant the volume was down by five to 10% on average, resulting in greater concentration of flavour, something that shines in this delicately pretty Pinot Noir.
2021 Mount Edward Pinot Noir RRP $55
Mount Edward Pinot Noir is a beautiful wine with wild cherry flavours, smoky flavours and . oak in the background, giving this wine grace, elegance and delicious purity.
2021 Dicey Pinot Noir RRP $49
Beautifully balanced Pinot Noir with intense depth of flavour and rewarding layers of deep ruby cherry scented aromas and of savoury, earthy aromas in a full bodied wine made from grapes grown entirely in Bannockburn. The Dicey brothers have excelled in this Pinot.
2022 Quartz Reef Bendigo Pinot Noir RRP $59
Certified biodynamic and organic vineyard in Bendigo on a north facing sandy slope, all of which adds up to a layered and lovely Pinot Noir with body to burn. Flavours span red and dark fruit with richness and length of flavour. Drinks well now and will keep.
North Otago Pinot Noir
2021 Valli Waitaki Pinot Noir RRP $79
Waitaki Valley has an edgy climate and more Pinot Noir than any other grape. This wine puts this tiny region's best foot forward, showing excellence, elegance and refinement with a pure, lighter style that has power in length and the transparency of fruit flavour.
North Canterbury Pinot Noirs
2022 Forager Pinot Noir RRP $55
Winemaker Dom Maxwell makes this wine with wild yeast fermentation and 15 months of barrel ageing, which give layers of depth and savoury earthy aromas to the wine. The grapes come from a small vineyard on Isolated Hill, which is 40 minutes drive north of the Waipara Valley in North Canterbury.
2021 Pegasus Bay Waipara Pinot Noir RRP $57.99
One of the most impressive wines in Aotearoa today and a tribute to both Pinot Noir and to North Canterbury - as well as to the Donaldson family and their winemaking team - that it is outstanding every vintage. It is made from old vines, many ungrafted with a portion of whole bunch fermentation adding structure and depth to the dark rich fruit flavours.
Marlborough Pinot Noirs
2020 Astrolabe Wrekin Pinot Noir RRP $65
Wrekin Vineyard is an outstanding vineyard in Marlborough’s Southern Valleys where the hillside elevation, densely planted vines and low crop levels all add up to an extremely impressive framework around a wine with depth of flavour and great length.
Wairarapa Pinot Noirs
2023 Craggy Range Te Muna Pinot Noir RRP $42.99
Vibrant young Pinot Noir from the Te Muna Valley in Martinborough from a tricky vintage. This is a beautifully structured, earthy Pinot Noir that is made in a lighter style than usual, due to the vintage, but which still shows the outstanding depth from Te Muna Valley.
2021 Escarpment Pahi Pinot Noir RRP $85
Pahi is one of the top four Pinot Noirs from Escarpment Vineyard in the Te Muna Valley. This powerful plush Pinot Noir has dark fruity aromas leading into complex fresh and dried fruit flavours in a full bodied wine with very good length.
2023 Huntress Pinot Noir RRP $45.99
Winemaker Jannine Rickards brings excellent savoury flavours to this 2023 Pinot Noir, using 25 per cent whole bunch fermentation to add freshness and structure to the delicate fruit core of this wine, which is made entirely from Wairarapa grown grapes.
2021 Nga Waka Martinborough Pinot Noir RRP $40
Best Pinot Noir from Nga Waka yet with outstanding intensity of flavour, a velvet full bodied texture and long finish. It drinks well now and has a long life ahead, for those with willpower to keep it.
2022 Te Kairanga Runholder Pinot Noir
RRP $35.99
Winemaker John Kavanagh brings a deft touch to this fabulous spicy Pinot Noir, which is driven by savoury flavours which are underpinned by a fruity core, fresh acidity and a medium body. Balanced and beautiful.
* There are many more outstanding Pinot Noirs made in this country today. These wines are my current stand outs tasted during 2024 from New Zealand, to date, and clearly do not include the exceptional Meyer-Nakel Spatburgunder that I tasted last week from the Ahr Valley in Germany. As above, there are many reasons to celebrate International Pinot Noir Day. Happy Pinot-ing.
