Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

Nose of spiced plum & blueberries, perfumed flowers and baking spices. Bin 389 is often referred to as ‘Poor Man’s Grange’ or ‘Baby Grange. The Bin 389 is aged 18 months in American oak hogsheads (300 litres). There is 20–30% new, 70–80% 1- and 2-year-old oak, including barrels used for the previous vintage of Grange and Bin 707. The proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon can vary between 60 and 75 per cent depending on vintage conditions. The 92 is still holding it's own. It tastes as if it's just the other side of it's peak by 2-3 years. Still very pleasurable. The fruits show lots of black plum, plum, blueberries, olallieberries, wild blackberries, black cherry licorice, black tea, spice-box, used leather, dry stems, dry roses and fresh violets, vanilla, cinnamon, light caramel & brown sugar, gravelly dry brown earth, irony minerals and nice acidity. 13.5% alcohol but it feels higher in the back of the throat. The body is slightly lean for the grapes but that's the bottle age. The long finish is bright, elegant fruit with a touch of woodiness. A good warm up to my to Barossa Valley, Eden Valley, McLaren, Clare, Langhorne, Coonawarra, Hawke's Bay and Central Otago trip. — 8 years ago

Sheila Hansen

9.4

G v collection is a very good white not sweet with a very light fruit taste one of the best so far on our trip in New Zealand — 8 years ago

Harri Sharman

8.9

Oak fermented and I suspect some lees, which makes for a full body honey and white flower parfait style wine... — 9 years ago

Alex Griffith

9.0

At 10% alcohol--with I'm guessing 60+ g residuals--the last 9 years leave an impression that is both sweetly-floral and quenching. Not sweet enough to be sticky on the palette, this is akin to peach honeysuckle sherbet. If you're lucky to have one of these tucked away, enjoy it on a bluebird mountain day. — 9 years ago

Rebecca Chiu

9.0

Beautiful bold wine from north otago. It has the raw power of limestone combined with hints of raspberry and plum. Powerful aroma. Pick a meat that can stand up to the wine. It almost tastes like a Rhone blend in my opinion. — 9 years ago

with Suneet

Bob McDonald

9.3

Delightful Californian Pinot. Lovely perfume. If told it was new world I would have wrongly picked it as NZ although this was restrained which would have ruled out Otago. More Burgundian than many NW Pinots. A delicious drink. With air and time lost some complexity. 18- 2006 vintage. — 10 years ago

Paul Heyrman

9.1

Elegant Otago pinot — 10 years ago

Patrick Elliott

9.0

Lighter than the Central Otago pinots I am used to. Tasted in Manhattan. — 10 years ago

Jessica L. Jordan

10

Purchased at Silver Lake Wine — 11 years ago

Maddalena de Zambiasi

9.6

New Zealand pinot noir . Pasquale PN Waitaki Valley 2010. €36. L'annata é ottima . Completezza tridimensionale , Equilibrato. Fine — 12 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.4

Light to medium ruby with tawny rim - very Burgundian in colour. Sappy earthy and more old world than new. A nice counterpoint to the majority of NZ Pinots tasted last week, in Wellington, particularly the fuller bodied Otago styles. — 8 years ago

Bob McDonald

8.9

This is from the Waipara Valley in Canterbury just north of Christchurch and not to be confused with Wairarapa just north of Wellington in Martinborough. Must try more Pinots from this region. Not as full bodied as Otago being more minerally from the Gravel soils. — 8 years ago

Andrew Wilkie

9.0

Medium/ full bodied Pinot. Plum and cherry with a herbal character not unlike Otago pinots. Long finish. Good wine. — 9 years ago

Ksenia Evdokimova

9.0

Had at The Modern in NYC in 2015. Dinner for 1 after Tanya and Lena left. Sommelier-recommended for Pinot Noir lovers adventurous to try from less common regions. — 9 years ago

Elizabeth Sargeant

9.2

Delicious! — 9 years ago

Alex Xu

9.5

Central Otago Pinot can really age - incredibly pure red fruit, interlaced with good acid, and silky mouthfeel. — 10 years ago

John Needham CSW

9.1

Great, fruity, New Zealand Pinot, different from Central Otago style. Cool wine, cool farming techniques — 10 years ago

Colin

9.1

Bring back memories, as good as the vineyard served wine in Otago n — 10 years ago

Anne Jewett

9.0

Pear and citrus on the nose. Pale green. Tangy, bit spicy. Dry lingering finish. Pasquale 2011 Hakataranea Valley NZ. North Otago — 10 years ago

Brett Jones

8.9

From one of the first wineries in the attractive Gibbston Valley near Queenstown, still making classy wine. Pale limey gold, lemon curd, floral, off dry with gentle acidity with notes of lemon crême brulée. Medium bodied, elegant. — 11 years ago

Alder Yarrow

Wine Blogger Vinography

9.1

Steely chalky very dry and tart apple pear with a hint of citrus — 8 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.1

Established in 1983 this dry farmed certified organic Vineyard is one of the earlier ones in Otago. Bought a dozen of their Riesling 12 years ago and drank the last one recently- all very good. — 8 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.4

Light Ruby with a tawny rim. Perfumed nose with Plum Lavender and violets. Very sweet palate of stewed fruits/rhubarb with softening silky tannins. Very much a new world nose - reminiscent of Central Otago. Always liked Ponzi from when I used to visit Eugene when my son was on the Oregon Ducks Tennis Team. A delicious Pinot Noir. — 9 years ago

Brent Mayeaux

Production Burn Cottage Vineyard

9.0

Reminds me of a Feinherb/Kabinet. A bit of RS, but tons of acidity keeps it in check. Drank much better on night 2 where it showed more besides lime and laserbeams and felt more fleshed out. — 9 years ago

Teresa S

9.0

Favorite from the wine tasting today - citrus, vanilla, great finish, little residual sugar. Doing a bang up job with this local pecorino we bought. — 9 years ago

with Andy

Bob McDonald

9.6

Lemon Gold - pristine clear. Honeyed nuances with some paraffin on nose. Sweetish broadening palate with a little acidity. At its peak. First time trying a10 year old NZ Riesling. No distinguishing features much from a 10 year old Aussie Riesling. A little more Germanic perhaps. When young this wine had Rose petals on nose. Last of a dozen. Lovely wine. 2005 vintage. — 10 years ago

Tim Baitch

9.3

Watch out Central Otago, here comes the apple Isle! This is big by Pinot standards but still has that beautiful light feel, early finish and leaves you reaching for the next glass. Get on it!! — 10 years ago

Lloyd Heinrich

9.4

Geez these are bloody good drinks for the dollars. Picked this one up on special for $14 and WOWZERS it smashes any local Pinot under $20. This is a bigger expression of Pinot (think Central Otago) but has an amazing acid line and sour tinge that makes it just so slurpy it's kinda silly. Great wine... At this price, SENSATIONAL! — 10 years ago

Chris Cochrane

8.9

Very good, competes well against central Otago pino — 10 years ago

Adrian Bryksa

Blogger YYCWine.com, Contributor Culinaire

9.2

Is this Central Otago Pinot? Violets, cola, earth, blackberry and herbs on nose. Add sweet cherry, light acid and a soft finish on palate. 350 cases made — 12 years ago