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| Tim Atkin explains New Zealand Pinot Noir |
I was invited this February to join Master of Wine and wine writer
Tim Atkin (a very nice British Man) and other wine industry folks at the New
Zealand Consulate General’s house in Los Angeles to sample through a variety of
New Zealand Pinot Noirs. You might
be thinking - New Zealand makes Pinot Noir? That’s exactly the point. Better
known for Sauvignon Blanc and Shiraz
(called Syrah in the, ahem, Northern Hemisphere), New Zealand is a small
country full of surprises. It’s one thing to have Pinot Noir from some random place
in New Zealand, and it’s another matter entirely to sample through multiple
regions within the country so you get a solid understanding of what the whole
place is capable of producing.
I tasted through 18 New Zealand Pinot Noirs:
~6 wines from Martinborough,
Nelson, and Waipara (what stood
out: 2010 Pegasus Bay Prima Donna,
reflective of bright, expressive, more California-ish fruit),
~6 wines from the best known grape region; Marlborough (what stood out: the 2010 Seresin “Leah” with its
biodynamically produced grapes;
~6 wines from Central
Otago (what stood out: the 2011 Burn
Cottage with its smoky quality, and the 2010 Felton Road from Bannockburn) which showed the most fun and
unusual characteristics, and a region that Atkin says playfully is populated with "remarkable misfits." The diversity of styles reflects how the subtle and
not so subtle regions (and sub-regions) allow for a broad expression of Pinot
Noir. Some are earthy, fleshy and rich like California, others present a
minerality and quiet finesse, “fine-boned” as Mr. Atkins put it, others were nuanced
and subtle, and frankly some tasted like no other Pinot Noir I’ve come across –
less fruit and more hard-to-define austere. The point of this exercise, and
what I’m advocating here, is to try something new the next time you’re out and
about. Should a New Zealand Pinot Noir be offered by the glass or bottle, don’t
be timid – try it. There were certain ones which were not my stylistic
preference, but none of the wines were inferior. You will discover a new world
of Pinot, only if you’re willing to experiment. So get to it, your taste buds
will thank you. NEW ZEALAND WINES
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