Black Estate, Home Pinot Noir, North Canterbury

A little soapy, dusty, alcohol prickle. Hard and tart. Not for me

2019 Visit to North Canterbury, NZ : A product of a cooler year and showing that character. Spices, tart cherries and raspberries, earth and wet iron on the nose. Drinking it, bright, persistent acidity. Those tart red cherries and some cranberries. Lighter bodied. Elegant and fine.

2019 Visit to North Canterbury, NZ : Vines planted in 1994 and 2011 on a gentle north-facing 6 ha vineyard with sedimentary clay soil. Under screwcap. Dark ruby colour. A bouquet of damp soil, wet brush, black cherry and dark spices. An earthy, savoury mouth with sous bois and mainly dark fruit. Below mid weight but good concentration. Crisp, precise, typical North Canterbury acidity. Drink from now.

With Taylor’s in lockdown. Very nice std Pinot

P&p. Fairly typical spicy, earthy, dark fruit aroma, but with a healthy dose of sappy herbs/scrub/weeds/nettles thrown in. Similar flavors, with good acidity, and some significant sappy bitterness which works well. Tasty, moreish, fun wine. Seems to offer more interest than the 2016 Home, although I agree with HowardNZ that the Damsteep is more interesting still. In any case, good stuff.

P&p; best with an hour+ of air in the bottle. Darkish, spicy, smoky fruit aroma; attractive. Similar on the palate, seemingly with less definition and depth than on the nose right out of the bottle but comes together with air. Tasty, with some character and interest. Fairly light in weight and concentration, easy to drink. A touch herbaceous. Some appetizing bitterness toward the finish. Enjoyable overall, softer and less serious than the Damsteep, but quite moreish, and a good value …

2019 Birthday wines : A small sample. Compared with the Damsteep, a darker, richer, more fruit forward bouquet. Good bright, ripe, rich, generous fruit on palate. Some spices. Good acidity. More instantly appealing than the Damsteep. Also, more integrated and more of a piece than the Damsteep, at this early stage. But the less interesting wine, in my view.