Kusuda, Pinot Noir, Martinborough

Distinctively NZ nose, combination of ripe red fruits and smoke/ spices. Just keeps getting more floral over time, so much elegance. Smooth as silk texture but you would’ve expected more complexity apart from the savoury meatiness. Nonetheless ready to drink and very enjoyable.

2020 vintage

2019 and 2020 Kusuda Pinot Noir Versus Chambolle-Musigny (San Francisco) : Much lighter and less saturated than the other wines in the flight. Sinuous, stemmy aromas. Just completely different from everything else, and everyone picked it up as the New Zealand wine,Lighter and more red fruited than the others with sour cherry, high acidity, and excellent soil. Moderately long finish dominated by herbs.

2020 vintage

Nose: smoke, cherry, rose, spices Notes: 14% ABV, no fining. It's my first time trying Kusuda and it's not difficult to understand why this has been compared repeatedly with Burgundy reds. This wine is very smooth and complex with an amazing and impeccable perfume. This of course is on the fuller side for Pinot but having said so if tasted blind I probably would guess it's from Burgundy but probably not from the prominent villages at Cote de Nuits. I …

2020 vintage

Blind Tasting with Mr Xu (Auckland CBD) : red/dark berries, perfumed, medium body, some mushroom and earthy notes. fresh acidity, fine grained tannins, running long with some mineral notes, balanced and elegant, a little bit lean, well polished, nod to Burgundy but can perceive new world characters. JM 91, WA 93, JCL 92, BC 95, RC 18.5 Ap 5/5, Ar 13/15, Palate 17/20, Overall 5+4/10 Total 94/100

2010 vintage

PNP into Damijan Zalto glass (“Flower” day): Pale bright purplish ruby to the eyes. Bluish cherry fruits, Violet florals. Reminds me of an elegant Oregon style. Bright acidity and minerality, deep flavors. Long signature bittersweet finish. Clearly young but clearly has a bright future ahead like 10 years in cellar. 94-95 points easy.

2020 vintage

Great conditions with perfect cork, fill level, capsule, and labels. PNP into Zalto Burgundy glass ("Flower" day): Pale ruby with garnet hues - very nice colours. (This is unfined and had minimal filtration as notes on back label and there is no chunks of deposits at all even at the last drop!) Very elegant and airy petite blue and red berries on the nose. Meaty and restrained scent of sous bois. Slightly herbaceous, and dried herbal scent too. There is …

2002 vintage

Wines at the February 2019 Magnum dinner (Noble Rot, Wellington, NZ) : My wine, served blind. Everyone picked the wine as New World, with some suggesting Central Otago. A ripe, rich and oppulent bouquet. On palate, the suggestion of fruit sweetness. Dark fruited with refined, fine grained tannins. Touches of earth, bramble and underbrush but not as much as I would typically expect of a Martinborough pinot noir of this age. Suave and relatively seamless. Good persistence and length. A …

2009 vintage

Quite muscular and still very fruit driven. Balanced perfume of dark berry and opened up quicker than I thought. Ready to start drinking now, but will continue to improve for a few more years.

2009 vintage

Nose: earthy, floral, mineral base, tea and gamey palate: very clean, tannin polished, cherry intermixed with earth , subtle spice, a bit falling short in mid palate, mineral finished. Quite impressive for NZ wine even it's in early production

2002 vintage

Only opened up after 1 day and still holding strong after 2! M intensity fresh red and black fruits, hint of cola and ripe red fruits. Some oak. Balanced and perfumey (unlike when first opened when it was more alcoholic and harsh). More of the same on the palate, with some earth, mushrooms and tea leaves, yet there remains some harshness from the alcohol. Medium plus length finish. Definite Burgundian influence, and it comes damn close but sadly not there …

2010 vintage

Fantastic wine - purity and elegance from start to finish. Scent of red and black fruits, heady spice and violet. Just a touch mushroomy. Palate beautifully balanced: restrained, round fruit, acid and some grip on the end are all integrated. Power but no heat.

2010 vintage

High quality NZ pinot noir. Deep red colour. Aromas of red cherry, raspberry, kirsch and violets, with a touch of black pepper. Sweetish entry, fully but not overripe, with silky, smooth tannins. Good depth and weight in the mid palate. Medium to full bodied with a good acid backbone. A suave New World pinot with tannins and acids nicely proportioned and balanced. Flavours of red and black berries with some earthiness and spice. Quite complex and long. Will easily cellar …

2009 vintage

Very special, especially given its youth. Incredible clarity of red and blue fruits on the nose and palate mixed with some briary secondary flavours. Real power and intensity in the mouth that makes one think there will be some heat on the finish but then it just slips down so seamlessly, leaving one utterly seduced during its long finish. Each glass brought a new facet to the experience with the last being the most enchanting. Will hold onto my other …

2010 vintage

Subtle and elegant. Builds nicely on the palate. Needs time. Nice.

2010 vintage

This was terrific. It didn't have the aromatic purity of the 2006 but was very good nonetheless. There tannins are fine but I think it Should age ok. I'm going to leave my remaining bottle for another 3 or 4 years.

2009 vintage

Nose offers up ripe small red fruits. Fantastic rich ,ripe pinot fruit with lovely balance . Very complete from front to bacnishk. Lovely acidity. Long finish.

2009 vintage

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Kusuda, Pinot Noir, Martinborough

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