Tasting notes:
Riverby Estate Reserve Pinot Noir. Medium, bright cherry in colour, this wine has a delightfully complex and beguiling nose displaying an abundance of ripe red fruits, cherries, plums, and darker berry fruits. There is a lovely floral component, predominantly violets and red roses, and a myriad of increasingly complex characters including herbs and spices, with lashings of vanilla.
On the palate it is deceptively rich and spicy and very appealing. There are chocolate notes as well as cherries, spices and developing savoury hints, which all contribute to the silky-smooth mouthfeel. This is a beautifully textured wine with fine grained tannins, refined acid balance and appealing complexity. It lingers beautifully and leaves a very elegant, refined impression with a nice herbal character. It will continue to develop for many years to come and should gain even greater complexity.
Food Match:
Pair with beef, veal, game or poultry.
Region/Producer: Riverby Estate Reserve Pinot Noir
Riverby Estate derives its name from the tranquil Opawa River, which winds through the Marlborough Region of New Zealand. The river’s rich resources were invaluable to the local farmers as well as the source of their favourite meal; the Rainbow Trout. In the 1930s Opawa River was diverted to stop Blenheim from flooding and the landscape was changed forever. Its redirection inadvertently transformed Riverby Estate into one of New Zealand’s finest wine growing properties.
Harvesting:
The fruit for their Reserve Pinot Noir was all grown on their Jacksons Road vineyard. Several different Pinot clones were utilised to add complexity. Notably clones UDC 5, 114, 115, 667 and 777. The oldest vines are 28 years old. They identified the best rows of each individual Pinot clone from early in the season and “reserved” them for this wine, hence its reserve name.
For more information about the producer: https://www.riverbyestate.com/
