These are my tasting notes of 13 Pinot Noir wines from the 2006 vintage. They were tasted on 25 January. My recommendations are the wines from Anthem, Block 124, Grasshopper Rock, Judge Rock, Mount Michael, Sleeping Dogs and van Asch. Mount Michael probably came out on top, with the Anthem wine perhaps showing the most long term promise. Given that Mount Michael is made from older vines and is 100% from the Cromwell basin (ie the hottest location) this result is perhaps not surprising. These are my personal comments. Everyone's palate is different. I tend to be on the critical side, for which apologies in advance. 15/20 is a good score.
Anthem 2006
Fruit dominates the nose. It is a dark red cherry. Very elegant wine which will age well. There is some obvious acid that needs time to soften. Perhaps a little too alcoholic at a bit of 14, but the extra sugar was probably necessary to balance the acid. This is 80% Gibbston fruit, and this tells with great silky mouthfeel. Oak is prominent but well handled. I want to drink this wine in 2011. 16/20
Block 124 Vineyard
A reductive character to the nose which is apparent to the taste also, but more restrained in the mouth. Quite elegant. An interesting mint/spearminty character. Acid is quite high but the alcohol at 13.7% is not as dominant. Good mouthfeel. 15/20
Domain Road Vineyard
I was expecting more given the Bannockburn location. Must be the young vines. Very closed, hard to penetrate. Elegant wine, but flavours as closed as the nose. There is red fruit there but not as apparent as it should be. Also masked by higher acids. Perhaps this crop was not that ripe, or perhaps it was over cropped? 12/20
Domaine Jaquiery
Out of interest I tried two wines the 2003 and the 2006. This is one of the coldest and most wind exposed sites in Central Otago. These notes were written before reading the Wanaka Sun article below...
2003 Slight Brett and slight reduction apparent on nose. Very barnyard and forest floor, and again some real reductive character in the mouth. Very pale colour and lack of concentration to fruit. Acid too high as was the alcohol. Fifth amendment
2006 Much better colour than 2003. And much cleaner nose. A bit of vanilla (is this all French oak?). Cherry flavours with some good mouth feel, but the flavours die fast. There is a bit of acid, which is a bit to dominant. 13/20
Grasshopper Rock
Great spice on nose, dark red fruit flavours. This is nice sweet fruit on the front palate. A real violet character also. Only complaint is the acid. Good potential shown by this wine which is a first vintage. 16/20
Hawkshead Vineyard
An elegant nose with a hint of reduction. Dark red fruit. The fruit might have been a little unripe. There is a real hole in the middle palate, which is a shame because the front and side are fine. There is a slightly quirky wet wool aftertaste. Not sure if this is a reduction issue or was there a funky barrel? 14/20
Judge Rock
Nice elegant fruit on nose. Good mouthfeel and good balance. The fruit is pleasant and there is a slight herbal character also. Was this a little over cropped? This isn't all new vine so some more intensity would have been expected. Interesting flavours though. 15/20
McArthur Ridge
Well perfumed nose. Violet and rose petal for me. Restrained fruit in mouth but a wine that shows too much acid and too much alcohol. Could have been Gibbston in a cold year, but this is Alex fruit. Maybe this is just a problem with this being a first crop. 13/20
Mount Michael
Very elegant nose showing violets and ripe fruit. Good mouthfeel. Ripe fruit, dark red plum. Also good to see a wine that has the alcohol in balance. Very well made. Good handling of oak also. 17/20
Pisa Moorings
A slightly dirty nose, without strong concentration. This shows in the mouth. There is fruit there but it is too restrained. Maybe there is some bottle variation here, as I am disappointed.
12/20
Sleeping Dogs
Spicy perfumed nose with violet also. Elegant fruit and spice, complex. Oak well handled. This has some tannins also. Some stems/ whole bunch from Gibbston? Brave. 15/20
Surveyor Thomson
Good spicy nose. Complex, dark red fruit flavours. Acid and alcohol were a bit too high. 14/20
I tried their 2005 also. The flavours were not as intense, but it seemed a wine in more balance and more elegant. I liked it more. 16/20
van Asch
Very floral, violet nose. Floral character in mouth also. The oak and tannins a bit more noticeable than many wines I have tried today. A bit acid also. 15/20
My conclusions : Interesting tasting. Age of the vine matters. Single vineyard seems to help also. 2006 was a heavy cropping year, for some of these wines it might have been too heavy. Acid and alcohol remain challenges. I would happily buy over half these wines. Many of these vineyards are showing strong potential.
