Wild Irishman Tūturi Pinot Noir 2024 Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand
Tuturi is the Wild Irishman home vineyard. It’s a 2.5ha site planted in 2002/2003 with clones 115 and 667, on deep alluvial gravels. Wild Irishman is the latest venture of the
pioneering winemaker, Alan Brady, who established Gibbston Valley Wines in 1983 before setting up Mount Edward in 1997. After “unsuccessfully retiring” in 2005, Alan developed Wild Irishman with fellow Irishman and winemaker, Brian Shaw in
2021, building his third winery at the age of 85. Both ‘wild Irishman’ and the te reo Maori ‘tuturi’ are names for the native thorny shrub matagouri that is common in the region.
Wild Irishman Tūturi Pinot Noir 2024 Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand
Harvested 6 and 13 April from vines planted in 2002. Wild ferment, no whole bunch, 11 months in French oak barrels, 20% new. This has alluring aromatics of black cherries, some wood spice, and some iodine/blood/iron savouriness. There’s a touch of reduction. The palate shows great concentration, and a really wide dynamic range, from some sweet, lush black fruit character, then some silkiness, and then some grunty structure. This gives some tension. There’s a freshness and juiciness to this wine, but also some seriousness. It will be interesting to watch it evolve over the next few years. 95/100
