New Zealand Pinot Noir - Producers and Regions
Exploring New Zealand's Great Pinot Noir Regions and Producers
Jul 16, 2009
Pinot Noir has moved in to become New Zealand’s most popular red grape variety and is second to Sauvignon Blanc in the area of new plantings. Traditionally, Burgundy is the home of Pinot Noir but since the 1990’s other areas of the world are starting to show that it can be grown else where.
Viticulture
The Pinot Noir grape suits cool climate viticulture as diurnal variation seems to slow down the ripening process developing more complex flavors whilst maintaining acidity. The small to medium sized clusters with their large seeds have fairly thin skins that contain relatively low amounts of anthocynins. As a result Pinot Noir can have a distinctive light red color compared to many other red wines. The grape ripens early and can be sensitive to the weather especially around harvest time. The thin skins make it prone to rot and berry split which has earned it a reputation as an extremely difficult grape to grow. The grape is susceptible to mutations and some of the mutagens include Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc. There is some clonal variation in Pinot Noir with poor quality clones making unbalanced wines, with either tannins that are too ridgid and not enough fruit or vice versa. Choosing the most suited clone to the site is one of the key decisions when establishing Pinot Noir.
Central Otago
Pinot Noir has become the darling of Central Otago where soils rich in mineral deposits combine with large diurnal variation to produce wines that display minerality, spices, and dark cherries. In a poor year however, the tannins can have a tendency to become unbalanced and abrasive. Chard Farm, Mt Difficulty, Rippon and Felton Road are all very reliable to give you a taste of what this region can produce.
Waitaki, Canterbury and Waipara
Moving further North into the recently developed Waitaki Valley the wine start to display a greater fullness with some interesting savoury characteristics. Search out the amazingly complex and textured Pinot Noirs from Ostler. An emerging hot-spot for Pinot Noir in Canterbury is the Waipara region where the vineyards receive some climatic shading from the cool off shore winds increasing the average summer temperatures. Producers such a Pegasus Bay, Muddy Water and Black Estate all utilize the different soil properties and less extreme climatic variation seem to produce wines which contain a good soft fruit center with more succulent tannins and a well supported acid backbone.
Marlborough
In Marlborough where Sauvignon Blanc rules, producers have started crafting Pinot Noir as an alternative to the large amounts of white varieties planted. Still in its infancy, Marlborough has yet to achieve a regional style and can be a bit hit and miss with a tendency to either produce thin, watery, insipid wines or overcooked, dark and heavily extracted wines. There are however some producers who are creating fantastic examples such as Fromm Estate, Herzog and Terravin.
Martinborough
The North Island has only one region cool enough to concentrate seriously on Pinot Noir. Martinbourgh which lies half way up a wide glacial valley is in a rain shadow and constantly has a temperature a couple of degrees lower than the rest of the North Island. The Pinot Noirs from this region range from a plumy gaminess to dry and earthy. There are some very good producers here, look out for Escarpment, Ata Rangi and Palliser Estate.
