Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

I might have mentioned this in a previous Felton Road post. If you haven’t tried this producer and you love White Burgundy, Burgundy & Ca Pinot, you owe to yourself to find a bottle(s). The fruit Nigel and his team produce is top shelf & some of the best acidity I’ve had. This is better than most more expensive CA Pinots & Burgundies I’ve had & their offering’s are in the $50-$65 range.

I love warm day & cool night Pinots. This is the climate of Central Otago. Their fruits are nicely ripe with acidity for days.

The mouthfeel is glorious, sexy and elegant. The blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, raspberries and strawberries really sing. This 16 is young & I’d hold it another 3-5 years for better things. Think it hits 95-96 at that point. This still shows some stronger spice & cinnamon stick at this age. Dark soils, underbrush, some savory meats, a dash of herbaceousness, tree bark dipped in sap, mixed mid fruit cola. clove, some vanillin with amazing, bright florals that are dark, fresh; red, blue, purple set in violets. Perfect acidity and an elegant, ruby, well balanced, smartly polished finish that sings on the palate for minutes.

Photos of; the view from their property in April 2017 which, is their fall, outside fermentation tank, my walking the property with owner Nigel Greening and my wife enjoying her walk around the property. — 6 years ago

Martin Bergo

8.9

For a NZ PN this wine is heavier and more robust than what I have tasted earlier (which includes little from this region and more from Marlborough and Otago); dark purple; elegant perfumed nose with some barnyard and mushrooms; nice mouthfilling round taste but with a short finish. Unusual PN for me, but very interesting. — 9 years ago

Seba Stian

8.9

Or maybe even more, especially in this price range - deep, opulent and damn - this one is one of the heaviest bodied Pinot I have ever tried. Surprisingly nose like in Italian Rosso di Montalcino, black 🍒 with hint of oak and some dark chocolate. Mouth full of cherries too, with bitter chocolate and pure cocoa. Medium + body and spicy long finish. Mniam mniam :) — 10 years ago

Shaughn Jenkins

9.0

Hello once again Rocky Knoll Vineyard!
New release 2012 at the cellar door on July 1st.
About 500 cases of triumphant Central Pinot. Lacks the acidity of previous years, but makes up for it in plenty of whole bunching tannic punch!
35% new French oak and 18 months in oak all around makes for one bucking bronco of a 2012 Pinot!
Never mind the snow on the Pisa range in March the said, let's make something to cellar a decade or more why not!
Rich, dark and spicy, just throw it in the cellar!

Cheers! — 11 years ago

Sally McEniry

10

Dry Riesling, citrus/acid — 12 years ago

Denis Roudenko

9.4

18/20 (95/100) — 12 years ago

David Shaw

8.9

Revisiting vintage, last bottle, Oregon-based winemaker, wine from his “offseason” making wines in New Zealand — 6 years ago

Al Shikoh

9.1

Recreation of “Judgement of Paris II” blind Pinot tasting with the addition of a bonus wine from the Central Otago:
medium dark ruby • red berry liqueur, potpourri, sous bois, a bit stemmy • very pure, very tannic, excellent persistence • made from 70% whole clusters, foot-stomped, barrique-aged, named after grower Mimi Casteel, the most tannic in the Linqua Franca range and in this flight • will reward long-term aging — 7 years ago

R J Thom

9.2

Lovely deep ruby color. Dark berry and balanced acid with great structure and finish. — 10 years ago

with Askly

Rob Moose

9.0

A much improved wine on day 2. This Pinot seems to have staying power, nice structure with a delicate blessing of red fruit. Would like to revisit with food, as opposed to a hotel room tipple in OKC — 10 years ago

Anna Tyack

9.0

2013 is Sato-san's first vintage for his pinot gris skin contact (4 weeks) | Grown on schist on Mt. Pisa, Central Otago and aged in oak | Beautiful amber color, great precision and savouriness-- bravo, Yoshi! — 11 years ago

Fabien Lainé

Blogger VinDeling.com

9.1

From one of the iconic NZ estate, , in its middle life step, this wine is friendly and approachable, some nice evolution bringing a more subtle character with spicy notes - farming on the estate runs biodynamic and once more the wine as the rest of the range never disappoint, a nice and sure value 😃 — 11 years ago

James Canning

9.5

Great pinot noir, much nicer than Mount difficulty — 12 years ago

Timothy Wong

9.0

Nice, clean Pinot. — 7 years ago

Tim Consie

9.5

Comparable to Rabbit Range, chocolatey and floral notes — 7 years ago

with Cory

Doug Scott

9.2

Medium body, great range, compared with a few months ago, seems a bit more acid, and still the long and intriguing finish. — 9 years ago

Esther Wang

9.0

It is a impressive wine at the below $30 price range. Dark fruit with herbal and spices — 10 years ago

Shaun Ferris

9.0

Very nice — 11 years ago

Rob Moose

9.6

Wow. Serious wow. Paired with Fried Eggplant at Dos Cielos in Barcelona. Would've guessed 1er Burgundy. Very excited to start collecting this! Beautiful. — 11 years ago

Anna Tyack

9.7

2012 pinot noir from Pisa Terrace vineyard in Central Otago, NZ | Natural wine made by Yoshi & Kyoko Sato | 15% whole bunch, aged for 15 months in French oak (25% new), SO2 added only at bottling | 3,220 bottles made — 12 years ago