The wines of Mountford Estate, Waipara
Some of New Zealand's most elegant wines from this South Island producer

Website: www.mountfordvineyard.co.nz

At this boutique Waipara winery, perfectionist winemaker CP Lin is fashioning some of New Zealand’s most elegant Pinot Noirs. Lin famously described previous owner Mike Eaton’s wines as ‘crap’ before being hired to see if he could do a better job. The vineyard dates back to 1991.

Mountford was purchased by Kiwi/Dutch couple Kathryn Ryan and Kees Zeestraten in 2007, and since then further Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling have been planted, taking the vineyard area up to 10 hectares. In addition, some fruit from contract growers is used to make the Village and Liaison Pinot Noirs.

The wines are imported into the UK by Hallowed Ground, and suggested retail prices are indicated in brackets after each note.

THE WINES

Mountford Estate Pure Riesling 2010 Waipara, New Zealand
9.5% alcohol, 56 g/l residual sugar. Complex, spicy and mineral with high acidity under the pear, melon and citrus fruit. Lovely concentration and great tension between the acid and sugar. 93/100 (£24.75) 01/12

Mountford Estate Chardonnay 2008 Waipara, New Zealand
Complex, restrained, nutty, minerally and bready. It has rich, bold fruit, but it’s also superbly elegant and shows great acidity, despite all the concentration of flavour. A thrilling wine, although at a suggested retail price of £37, it isn’t cheap. 95/100 (£36.65) 01/12

Mountford Estate Village Pinot Noir 2008 Waipara, New Zealand
Pale coloured. Supple, aromatic, leafy, sapid nose with some cherry fruit character. The palate is leafy and fresh with a lovely herby, spicy edge to the elegant, bright, light cherry fruit. 92/100 (£24.99, available in Waitrose) 01/12

Mountford Estate Pinot Noir 2008 Waipara, New Zealand
Smooth, supple, elegant, lighter style Pinot that’s quite pale in colour. Herb-scented red cherry fruit with good texture and some fruit sweetness. A really elegant style. 93/100 (£39.95) 01/12

Mountford Estate Pinot Noir 2007 Waipara, New Zealand
Very silky with smooth, sweet cherry fruit on the nose. Really open and pure. The palate is warm, silky and smooth with some meatiness and restrained cherry fruit. A remarkable, elegant wine. 93/100 02/10

Mountford Estate Pinot Noir 2008 Waipara, New Zealand
Taut and supple with less sweet fruit than the 2007 and nice minerality to the supple cherry fruit. Pure, smooth and quite structured with some openness. Savoury and full of interest. 93/100 02/10

Mountford Estate The Gradient Pinot Noir 2008 Waipara, New Zealand
From a single block. Smooth, open, elegant nose. The palate shows tight-wound sweet fruit with some herby notes and lovely savoury, structured fruit. Attractive, mineral and pretty serious. 94/100 02/10

See also:

Visiting Central Otago, New Zealand (series)
Visiting Martinborough, New Zealand (series)

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