Pinot Noir

Late harvesting (combined with 3 years controlled cellaring) has produced for the first vintage a subtle and velvet drive Pinot Noir. Final flavors include pepper over cranberry and cherry. Subsequent tastings show continuing and expanded depth gaining with further bottle conditioning. Has been described by one French wine consultants "has an old-world feel being pale, brick red in colour, soft and silky with good pinot noir varietal character".

Wine Review by Sam Kim Wine Orbit                                                                                  5 Star Rating - Outstanding quality showing varietal purity and exemplifying regional type Complex and enticing, the seductively expressed bouquet shows sweet berry, fine leather, game, and assorted nut aromas. The palate exhibits excellent weight and plush mouthfeel, splendidly supported by layers of polished tannins, making it wonderfully harmonious and sensually appealing. At its best: now to 2027

Wine Review by Yvonne Lorkin                                                                                    Lansdowne Estate Wairarapa Pinot Noir 2014                                                                    Hear me out. Sometimes you can find absolute treasures inside the most unassuming packaging. This wine is an excellent example of that. Eleven years old and made by one of the Wairarapa’s legendary winemakers, Karl Johner, this pinot noir, grown on the original Beetham-owned farm (famous for Heritage NZ-listed Brancepath Homestead), is maturing into something rather sensational. Brick-red, scented with book-pressed roses, cherry clafouti, earthy, sous bois notes, soft spices and rooibos tea to tickle the tastebuds. The folk at Lansdowne were far more attentive to the quality of the wine inside the bottle than how the bottles actually looked so please forgive them for using a Papyrus font and glossy, sticker-type labels. Aging gracefully and packed with pinosity.