Mountford Estate, Liaison Pinot Noir, North Canterbury

Mountford and Julicher (Forrest Hill, Auckland) : juicy and fresh red fruits, less herbal characters and a little lighter than estate PN. smooth and balanced. Liaison made from young vine, showing fresh fruity side straightforwardly, but still with intense sweet herbal flavours. CP Lin left before maturation done and bottling, so he claimed this vintage is not ‘signed off’ by him. However, it’s still a very nice one. Ap 5/5, Ar 13/15, Palate 16/20, Overall 3+3/10 Total 90/100

Either this bottle was off, or dill pickle and a brown color are the norm for this wine. However, the four of us did finish the bottle, hoping it would open up or change. It never did.

Still a strong and unusual wine and still shows itself as different from younger NZ pinots. This time I notice black peach on the nose.

Tawny color, and a nose with a strong hint of mustiness and wood. This opened up within a half hour to a real complexity of fragrance. My four year old said it had a nose of "rhubarb" which for her means a strawberry-rhubarb crisp that I make, and I think she's right--strawberry, cherry, but some tart fruit too which gave it a real richness. Good tannins and finish. Less fruit forward than more recent NZ pinots. Time in the bottle …