Goode’s Crib Sheets No. 2 – Central Otago Pinot Noir
I remember the first time I tried Pinot Noir from Central Otago. It was at a tasting in London back in 2003, and the write up is still on wineanorak. There was a 1992 Rippon and pre-Nigel Felton Road Block 3. I was mildly enthusiastic, but when I first visited seven years later I came away a fan, and I’ve visited regularly since.
Here’s my crib sheet of Central Otago’s leading Pinot Noirs.
The ‘crib sheet’ concept: my top tips on vinous themes. A personal ‘insider’s take’ that I hope will be useful, based on my experiences travelling the wine world and tasting widely. Honest and unbiased. And as a special feature I’m adding a confidence percentage at the end: how sure am I of these recommendations? Sometimes I have a lot of experience in a particular region, and I’m fully confident. In other cases I have enough experience to produce a crib sheet, but I may well have missed a few producers or wines because it’s not possible to taste everything. I apologise to producers who I’ve missed out on these lists, often for space reasons, but these crib sheets are meant for consumers and I can’t keep everyone happy.
- Rippon (Wanaka genius, all are brilliant, I have a soft spot for Tinker’s Field)
- Felton Road (everything good here, don’t overlook Bannockburn, and I really like Block 3)
- Prophet’s Rock Home Block (also look out for the collaboration with François Millet, called Antipodes)
- Burn Cottage Vineyard
- Amisfield (especially RKV bottling)
- Gibbston Valley (look for School House in particular)
- Terra Sancta Special Release First Vines
- Two Paddocks The Last Chance Alexandra
- Wild Irishman Doctors Flat Vineyard
- Atiku A1 Black Label
- Folding Hill Orchard Block
- Doctor’s Flat
- Maude Mt Maude Reserve
- Quartz Reef (look out for Royal Series Anna von Tirol)
- Rockburn Seven Barrels (from Gibbston)
