A New Zealand Diary – Day Seven

 

 

Rather controversially revealed on this third and final day of the conference, Matthew Jukes’ 2010 New Zealand Pinot Noir Classification:

FIVE STARS

Ata Rangi Felton Road Mt Difficulty

FOUR STARS

Bell Hill Craggy Range Dry River Escarpment

Martinborough Vineyard Pegasus Bay Peregrine Rippon

Pyramid Valley

THREE STARS

Bald Hills Cloudy Bay Dog Point Hinton Estate

Mount Edward Mountford Palliser Estate Schubert

Two Paddocks Valli Villa Maria Wither Hills

TWO STARS

Amisfield Auntsfield Chard Farm Gibbston Valley

Neudorf Olssens Quartz Reef Rockburn TerraVin Voss

Alan McCorkindale Envoy Seresin

ONE STAR

Alana Carrick Foxes Island Gravitas Huia Hunter’s Kumeu River

Lowburn Ferry Murdoch James Nautilus Pisa Range Spy Valley Te Kairanga

Blind River Delta Gladstone Jackson Johner Julicher Ma Maison

Mount Maude Pond Paddock Prophet’s Rock Tarras Te Whare Ra

The Ned Vavasour Wild Rock Wooing Tree

“The Third Great New Zealand Pinot Noir Classification was developed by Matthew Jukes and Tyson Stelzer to highlight the importance of New Zealand’s finest Pinot Noirs. The classification is awarded based on a rolling average rating of the five most recent vintages. Light font is used to position estates for which we have yet to taste five vintages.”

 

8.30am Keynote 3: New Zealand Branding In The International Marketplace

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chair: Tim Atkin MW

Keynote: Jeremy Moon
Speakers: Patrick McGrath MW, Nigel Greening, Leslie Sbrocco

10.00am The Pinot Noir Maker – We Share Our Secrets With The World On Making Great Pinot

Chair: Alistair Maling MW

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speakers: Lynette Hudson, Helen Masters

11.30am Formal Tasting #4: The Great Pinot Noirs of The World

 

 

 

 

Chair: Larry McKenna

Panel: Bob Campbell MW, Evan Goldstein MS, Nick Stock, Neal Martin, Matthew Jukes, Oz Clarke

 

 

 

 

 

(Tasted Blind)

2007 De Bortoli “Reserve Release” Pinot Noir Yarra Valley Australia
Tawny hue. Beetroot and plums with a hint of cinnamon. Shows a gentle freshness. Oak is quite reserved. Obviously cooler climate and quite good.

 

 

2006 Au Bon Climat “Isabelle” Pinot Noir California
Appears to be quite youthful with lifted red fruit and a reserved spice that is most appealing. There is a balanced opolence on the palate accompanied by silky tannins. Great texture.

 

 

2007 Muddy Water “Hare’s Breath” Pinot Noir Waipara NZ
Lots of leafiness on the bouquet, accompanied with some pleasant floral nuances… rose petals and the like. Lovely satin sheen on the palate, great texture with good astringency.

 

 

2006 Domaine Camille Giroud Chambertin Grand Cru Burgundy France
Quite exotically perfumed but with sappy overtones. Astringent on palate with scratchy unpleasant, unripe tannins. Did not bring me much joy at all. Urgh.

 

 

2007 Felton Road “Block 5” Pinot Noir Central Otago NZ
Strawberries augmented by herbs and baking spices. Well balanced and sensual. Mercurial actually. Superb grip that will surprise. Extremely well made juice.

 

 

2006 Littorai “Mays Canyon” Pinot Noir Russian River Valley California
Bubble gum, candied nose with violets that is most appealing to this olfactory system! Mulberry on the palate leading to pronounced minerality. High acidity. Very good.

 

 

2006 Domaine Jacques Frederic Mugnier Nuits St. George 1er Cru “Clos de la Marechele” Burgundy France
Vegetal and stemmy with coriander notes. Lots of spice on palate. Reserved fruit with higher acids. “A study in tension” Quite obviously Burgundian and not to everyone’s taste… but I liked it.

 

 

2006 Elk Cove Vineyard “Reserve” Pinot Noir Northern Willamette Valley Oregon
Toasty oak dominates the nose. Stewed red/black berry fruit. Quite a buxom gal of a wine. Not to say that it doesn’t have its charms as there is sufficient structure to frame the fruit. Rich and voluptuous… tasty. Intense.

 

 

2007 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir Martinborough NZ
Quite smokey and brooding. Concentrated and complex. Quite funky also… perhaps a little bit of Brett, but nothing I cannot handle as I have issues with the Brett Police. Vegetal and dense on palate. Quite an impressive mouthfull. Delicious.

 

 

2006 Comte Armand Volnay Burgundy France
Fruit is seriously reserved… muted… maybe even a touch of TCA on this pouring. Herby and savoury. Elegant and structured on palate but fruit seems tight and closed “A palate like a mantrap” A complex and yet difficult little bugger.

 

 

 

2.00pm Delegate Tasting 2: 100 Great New Zealand Pinot Noir Producers

At the Pinot Noir Closing Gala Dinner I bumped into UK Wine Scribe and Decanter contributor Rebecca Gibb, she was more than happy to share her thoughts of Pinot Noir 2010:

Edinburgh-born/Toronto-based Sommelier, consultant, writer, judge and educator Jamie Drummond is the Director of Programs/Editor of Good Food Revolution… and he has so many podcasts to publish when he gets home.