Pyramid Valley: tasting the 2020 Botanical Collection wines from this special New Zealand producer
Website: https://www.pyramidvalley.co.nz/
‘It’s a big moment in time for us at Pyramid Valley,’ said Steve Smith, introducing this tasting of the 2020 Botanical Collection. This vintage was the first time the single vineyard wines were made entirely by his team, with Huw Kinch as winemaker. They took over the project in 2017, and for a while the wines were still made by the Pyramid Valley team. The 2019 vintage they made most of the wines themselves, but not all of them. Smith’s ambitions are clear. In the last 18 months we have reframed what Pyramid Valley is: we want to be one of the world’s great Chardonnay and Pinot Noir producers.’
The first vintage of Pyramid Valley was 2006, when Mike and Claudia Weersing realized their dream of identifying a site that had the famous argile-calcaire (clay-limestone) soils of the top Burgundy sites, and planted four small but different vineyard blocks in a remote part of North Cantebury that they’d spent years scouting out. They purchased the site in Waikari in 2000. These sorts of terroirs are very rare in New Zealand. Their neighbours, Bell Hill, had the same limestone, but without the mix of clay and limestone that the Weersings were looking for. Mike was fully committed to making the wines naturally, and this was sometimes at the expense of being able to articulate site in a pure way. ‘It was always a vanguard and eccentric range,’ says Smith. ‘How can we bring that back to something that makes a bit of sense?’
Mike sadly died in 2020, and you can read my tribute to him here. It’s good to see Pyramid Valley, brought to life by this visionary winegrower, going strong under new ownership.
A new innovation here is the use of Oritain to ensure authenticity of the wines. I don’t think anyone is suggesting that these wines are yet the same target for forgers as famous Burgundies and Bordeaux wines of ages past, but it shows forward thinking to consider it. Steve Smith met up with the CEO of Oritain, Grant Cochrane, in another context, and then after hearing about the technology, wondered whether it could be applied to wine. You can read about it here.
There are three ranges of wines: since Smith and Sheth took over, Pyramid Valley has expanded beyond its original North Canterbury location. At the top, we have the estate-grown botanical collection. Then the pastures collection of ‘village’ wines, with some single-vineyard wines in the range too. And at the entry level, there are the colours collection.
Pastures Collection
Pyramid Valley Chardonnay 2020 North Canterbury, New Zealand
This comes from three vineyards in Waipara, one of which is 40 years old: this was an abandoned vineyard from Waipara Springs. Pyramid picked the grapes in 2019 and then leased it from 2020. Taut, fine and mineral with lovely precision. There’s just a hint of matchstick here with a lovely acid line and notes of grapefruit and pear and green apple. Focused and linear with a saline twist: very serious. 95/100
Pyramid Valley Springs Chardonnay 2020 North Canterbury, New Zealand
This is exclusively from the old Waipara Springs vineyard. Mineral and expressive with lovely intense citrus and pear fruit, as well as a hint of pineapple. There is some matchstick minerality, too. This is profound. 96/100
Pyramid Valley Pinot Noir 2020 North Canterbury, New Zealand
Floral, fresh and expressive with black cherry on the nose, together with some dried herb notes. Very inviting. The palate is supple and juicy with red cherries and raspberries, showing nice acidity and fruit purity. Has a fine, tart finish. 94/100
Pyramid Valley Pinot Noir 2020 Central Otago, New Zealand
From the excellent Lowburn Ferry vineyard that Smith and Sheth purchased in 2018. Concentrated, ripe and juicy, showing lovely fleshy black cherry and raspberry fruit. Nice density, with a juicy quality and some spice, dried herbs and plums. Opulent, but with lovely freshness and good structure. There’s a sense of precision to this wine and it has the density to age. 95/100
Pyramid Valley Korimako Pinot Noir 2020 North Canterbury, New Zealand
This is from Bellbird Springs in Waipara, and a northeast-facing site. Vibrant and focused with lovely acidity. Very pure and fresh with vibrant raspberry fruit, a twist of sour cherry and some nice stony notes. Goode acidity here: very focused and grippy with a hint of reduction and lovely structure. A lot of potential for the future. 95/100
Botanicals collection
These come from the home site in Waikari, North Canterbury. There are 2.2 hectares in four blocks, planted in 2002, at a high density of 11 000 vines per hectare. The two Chardonnay parcels are clone 95 and Mendoza, and most are on their own roots. The Angel Flower and Earth Smoke Pinot Noir parcels show more clonal diversity, and are from a variety of cuttings. It’s a very cool site with an average of 1000 GDDs.
Pyramid Valley Field of Fire Chardonnay 2020 North Canterbury, New Zealand
Really complex nose showing pear fruit as well as some finely mineral matchstick notes, as well as pineapple, spice and green apple. Massive concentration on the palate with firm citrus fruit and green apple notes. Fine toasty hints, nicely integrated woody notes and good structure and acidity. Lively and complex, showing beautiful balance. Powerful and energetic with real precision. 97/100
Pyramid Valley Lion’s Tooth Chardonnay 2020 North Cantebury, New Zealand
There’s freshness and richness here with peach and pear fruit intensity and some keen lemony intensity. It has lovely presence and focus, and the acid pushes it towards austerity, but the fruit brings it back. Hints of mandarin and fine toast too. Lovely depth and a touch of sucrosity on the finish. 95/100
Pyramid Valley Angel Flower Pinot Noir 2020 North Canterbury, New Zealand
Clay loam with some limestone here. Beautifully perfumed with floral red cherries and plums as well as fine herbs. The palate is fleshy and elegant with smooth red cherries and some fine sappy hints. There’s a sense of ease and generosity here and this finishes with nice acidity, and a bit of sweet raspberry crunch. Nicely structured, this is still primary but has lots of potential. 95/100
Pyramid Valley Earth Smoke Pinot Noir 2020 North Canterbury, New Zealand
A little subdued and restrained on the nose with some sweet cherry and berry fruit. The palate has good concentration of sweet raspberry and cherry fruit with a hint of olive savouriness. Pure and restrained, and structured, too, with silky ripe fruit and also some tannin. Superb, with a long future ahead of it. 96/100
Some older wines:
Pyramid Valley Lion’s Tooth Chardonnay 2009 North Canterbury, New Zealand
Full yellow colour. Highly aromatic with some development, showing toast and caramel and some burnt sugar, as well as some apricot. The palate is rich, intense and grapey with lovely intensity and powerful flavours of apricot, melon and toast. Rich and opulent, and quite crystalline. Good acidity. 93/100
Pyramid Valley Field of Fire Chardonnay 2020 North Canterbury, New Zealand
Complex aromatic nose of butterscotch and honey with some toasted bread. The palate is saline and bring, and quite vivid with apricot, spice and some toasty hints. Lovely precision allied to richness, with some apricot depth. Fine and expressive. 94/100
Pyramid Valley Calvert Pinot Noir 2006 Central Otago, New Zealand
From 2006-2012 three wineries shared the grapes from Calvert, each making their own wine. Pyramid was one of them (Felton and Craggy were the other two). From young vines. Supple and fresh with a hint of meatiness. Red cherries and plums with some black cherry and blackberry too. Has fine spicy notes and a touch of wild strawberry. This is textured and fine with real presence. 94/100
Pyramid Valley Earth Smoke Pinot Noir 2012 North Canterbury, New Zealand
A cool vintage. Wonderful aromatics of sour cherries and some meatiness, with some nice spicy hints. On the palate, sweet strawberries, some plums and a silky smooth texture, as well as a nice sappy edge. Real elegance here. 95/100
