Central Otago 2013

A store called NZwinesonline hosts a Central Otago show each year....expecting 15+ wineries and 80+ wines....so it is a bit disappointing when they have 13 wineries and 56 wines (I think it was actually less)...not to mention it was one of the more expensive events to attend....Even compared to previous ones, this one was a bit of a stinker and pretty much a waste of time...

On the plus side I did find a new winery called Valli....

They had three pretty good Pinots available...they actually have more based on their website.

Valli

Valli Gibbston Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011

Really good acidity (best of the three), clean red fruit, some herbs, slight minerality...very good texture and depth....Lighter in mouthfeel than the other two and my favorite of the three.

Valli Bannockburn Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011

Slightly fuller mouthfeel than the Gibbston...good acidity, not quite as good as the Gibbston...bit bigger fruit and a bit more tannin structure...although they're relatively soft...Good overall Pinot...

Valli Bendigo Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011

Similar mouthfeel to the Bannockburn Vineyard....good acidity although less than the Bannockburn...Bigger fruit than the other two...Bigger tannins than the other two...It actually had some Aussie PN flavors to it...My least favorite of the three but still pretty decent overall.  

Pretty good set of Pinots and according to their website they have a Waitaki which sounds like it something I would like to try.   The downside? At 60 it is in territory where there are some other pretty good alternatives....although not many...

Wooing Tree Sandstorm Reserve Pinot Noir 2009

I tried this probably six months back and it was a bit of a monster. Really big harsh tannins...you could sense a pretty good wine underneath but the tannins were ripping my face off.  To my surprise, this has really softened quite a bit since then and it was looking really really good.  Biggish red fruit but with a lot of different things going on...really good acidity...with the softer tannins the wine had really good texture...fantastic complexity...Cranberries, sour cherry, some herbs...hints of dark chocolate...It is good to see this wine come around....Overall probably the best wine of the show...but at 100+AUD...it is probably a bit overpriced...

Probably the biggest disappointment at the show (for me) was Mt. Difficulty...I haven't really liked any of their stuff in awhile...but they have an overall good reputation....but the best way to describe where they're going is looking at their reserves...Pipeclay and Long Gully....Both were really quite sweet....good complexity...but really, a fruit bomb of a Pinot Noir...it was really quite meh with lowish acidity....Apparently there is no residual sugar...I find that almost impossible to believe..