Andrew Jefford: Clear, limpid deep red. Fresh, limpid, lively, graceful, seductive, and charming scent repertoire: the red fruits taken on a walk under your nostrils, but all done with great delicacy. A little teasing sweetness behind, but nothing so obvious as to suggest a barrel or a stave. A fullness, too: lees contact? Intense, deep, concentrated, and commanding on the palate. Not impeccable; there is a slight lack of width and freshness here. However, this is a wine whose fruit is very complex, with impressive levels of ever-welcome tannin and remarkable levels of density and extract. This is one of the rare wines in the tasting that you feel should age well. It doesn’t charm—there is almost too much concentration for that—but you want to keep going back and back again to plumb its depths and gauge its remarkable aromatic resources. I find this a difficult wine to mark, since in terms of authority and concentration it is obviously an immensely serious effort; yet stylistically it isn’t quite perfect, either... It almost needs a little less concentration and depth and density in order to drink well. Yet it is obviously one of the outstanding wines in this tasting, and any Pinotphile should seek it out. Bravo! Could be Australia or New Zealand, because it is very crafted. Let’s say Australia. 17

Anthony Rose: This is very deeply hued, with nice sweet and savory red fruits and truffley aromas; quite Burgundian in its savoriness on the nose, in fact. There’s a slight prickle on the palate (lees?), and it is sweetly dark cherryish and juicy and lively on the palate, with a real nip and lick to the acidity and supple juicy tannins—and yet behind them a clear backbone and structure. Quite chewy on the finish and most definitely demanding a palate of something piggy or gamey. Immensely satisfying and probably could do with two to three years’ aging. New Zealand. 17

Joanna Simon: Deep, youthful color. Intense, bright, fragrant: roses, bergamot, black fruit, and delicate spicy coffee. Palate: similarly intense and bright initially, with great purity, then subtle layers of spicy minerality, raspberry, cherry, coffee, and a sweet earthiness. Still fresh, with delicate, supple tannins. New Zealand? 17.5